GIFT   OF 


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TRANSLATION 
PALOU'S  LIFE  OF  JUNIPERO  SERRA 


FRANCISCO  PALOU'^ 
LIFE  AND  APOSTOLIC   LABORS 


OF  THE 


Venerable  Father  Junipero  Serra 


FOUNDER  OF  THE  FRANCISCAN  MISSIONS 

OF  CALIFORNIA  i 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  AND  NOTES  BY 

GEORGE  WHARTON  JAMES 

Author  of  "In  and  Out  of  the  Old  Missions  of  California," 

**The  Franciscan  Missions  of  California," 

* 'Modern  Mission  Architecture,"  etc. 


English  Translation  by  C.  Scott  Williams 


1913 

GEORGE  WHARTON  JAMES 

PASADENA,  CALIFORNIA 


Copyright,  1913 


BY 


v."^ 

# 


EDITH  E.  FARNSWORTH  V 


%, 


DEDICATION 

To  five  men  whose  generosity  has  aided  me  in  publishing  this 

Translation  of  Palou's  Life  of  Junipero  Serra 

namely 

ELI  P.  CLARK 

and 

MOSES  H.  SHERMAN 

The  builders  of  the  First  Electric  Railway  over  some  of  the  roads 

trodden  by  the  Sainted  Serra 

ARTHUR  T.  LETTS 
President  of  the  Los  Angeles  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

JAMES  D.  PHELAN 

Ex-Mayor  of  San  Francisco,  and  whose  monument  to  Serra  in 

the  Golden  Gate  Park  is  but  one  of  his  many  gifts 

to  the ''City  of  Destiny" 

and  to 

FRANK  A,  MILLER 

The  Master  of  the  Glenwood  Mission  Inn,  Raiser  of  the  ''Serra 
Cross"  on  the  summit  of  Mount  Rubidoux,  Riverside, 
and,  though  of  alien  faith,  the  devout  ad- 
mirer of  Junipero  Serra  and  his  work 

I  cordially  dedicate  this  book,  with  highest  esteem. 


V.  R.BEL  V.R  E  JUNIPERO    SERRA         , 


(Photographic  Copy  from  the  Original  Edition.) 


Exact  copy  ot  original  title  page  to  Palou's  Life  of  Serra. 
Translation  on  opposite  page. 

RELACIONHISTORICA 

DE  LA  VIDA 
Y  APOSTOLICAS  TAREAS 

DEL  VENERABLE  PADRE 

FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA, 

Y  de  las  Misj'oncs  que  fundd  en   la  California  Sep- 
tentrional^ y  nuevos  establecirn  eutos  de  Monterey, 

ESCRITA 

Par  el  R.  P.  L.  Fr.  FRANCISCO  PA  LOU, 

Guardian  a&ual  del  Co  leg 20  j^postolico  de  S. 

Fernando  de  Mexico^  y  Discipulo  del 

Venerable  Bundador. 

DIRIGIDA 

A  SU  SANTA  PROVINCIA 

DE  LA   REGULAR   OBSERVANCIA 

DE  Nro.  S.P.  S.  FRANCISCO 
DE  LA  ISLA  DE  MALLORCA. 

A  E^i»^NSAS 

DE  T)Q^  i^\GUm<^^  CALDERON 

SINmc6'';T:)fe.bi2H^0/;4J>OSTOLIC.O   colegio. 


Impresa  en  Mexico^  en  la  Iwprenta  de  Don  Felipe  de  ZuhigO' 
y  Qntiveros^  calk  del  Espiritu  Santo^  ano  de.  1787. 


Historical  Account  of  the  Life  and 
Apostolic  Labors  .  ' 

of  the 

Venerable  Father  Fr.  Junipero  Serra 

and  of  the 

Missions  which  He  Founded  in  Northern  CaHfprnia, 
and  the  New  EstabHshments  of  Monterey 


Written  by 

The  Rev.  Lector  Fray  Francisco  Palou 

Guardian  of  the  Apostolic  College  of  San  Fernando',  Mexico, 
and  Disciple  of  Its  Venerable  Founder 


A    Work  Addressed  to  the  Holy  Province  of  the  Regular  Observance  of 
Our  Holy  Father  Saint  Francis,  of  the  Island  of  Mallorca. 


Published  at  the  expense  of  Don  Miguel  Gonzalez  Calderon, 
Trustee  of  said  Apostolic  College. 


Printed  in  Mexico,  at  the  OfRct,  of  por^  f^efi^e  (iei»^*Ai|a*y'DrTtiveros, 
Espiritu  Santo  Street,  in  the  Year  1787. 


Monument  to  Junipero  Serra,  in  Golden  Gate  Park,  San  Francisco, 
California.    The  Gift  of  former  Mayor,  James  D.  Phelan 


Introduction  to  the  English  Translation 

By  George  Wharton  James 

^ I  THOUGH  Palou's  "Life  and  Apostolic  Labors  of  the  Venerable  Father  v 
J-  Fray  Junipero  Serra^^  is  the  first  work  dealing  with  the  history  of  y^ 
Alta  California;  and  though  it  was  originally  published  in  the  City  of 
Mexico  in  I'jSy,  it  has  never  yet  been  translated  for  English  readers.  A 
few  chapters^  with  snatches  here  and  there  from  the  original^  were  done  into 
English  and  issued  by  the  Reverend  Father  Adam,  Vicar  General  of  the 
Diocese  of  Monterey  and  Los  Angeles,  in  the  year  i8go,  but  its  inadequacy 
was  an  irritant  and  a  source  of  annoyance. 

Does  it  require  any  lengthened  argument  to  show  that  such  a  lack  in  the 
literature  of  the  Golden  State  does  not  recommend  us  to  the  good  opinion  of 
outsiders?  To  have  the  very  first  book  upon  which  our  knowledge  of  the 
history  of  the  state  depends  inaccessible  to  all  save  a  few  Spanish  scholars 
reveals  a  lack  of  state  pride  and  self-respect  and  a  personal  indiference  that 
are  unbecoming  a  great  state  and  its  progressive  people.  This  would  be  so 
even  were  the  character  of  the  "history-maker^^  one  that  neither  commanded 
veneration  or  respect.  But  when,  as  in  the  case  of  so  noble  and  Godlike  a 
man  as  Padre  Junipero  Serra,  people  of  all  classes,  parties,  and  religious 
beliefs  acclaim  him  one  of  the  noblest,  purest,  most  self-sacrificing,  devoted, 
humble.  Apostolic  and  Christlike  of  men,  the  careless  indifference  of  the 
educators,  religious  leaders  and  teachers,  and  scholars  of  the  State  borders 
upon  the  reprehensible. 

It  seems  peculiarly  appropriate,  therefore,  that  in  this  year  of  our  Lord 
191 3,  two  hundred  years  after  this  His  Devoted  Servant,  Junipero  Serra,  « 
first  saw  the  light,  that  a  translation  of  his  Life  and  Labors  should  be  pub- 
lished. For  thirty  years  I  have  waited,  hoping  that  some  competent  pen 
would  undertake  the  work.  Father  Zephyrin  Englehardt,  the  Official 
Historian  of  the  Franciscan  Order  in  California,  was  the  man  who  most 
properly  should  have  done  it,  as  his  great  familiarity  both  with  the  Spanish 
language  and  with  the  life  of  his  fellow-Franciscan, —  whose  memory  and 
Apostolic  labors  he  reveres, —  eminently  fitted  him  for  the  task.  But  his 
exhaustive  studies  and  work  upon  the  monumental  history  of  the  "Missions 
and  Missionaries  of  California,^'  Lower  as  well  as  Upper,  not  yet  being 
completed,  he  was  compelled  to  forego  the  pleasure. 

xi 


xii     INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  ENGLISH  TRANSLATION 

When  the  following  pages  were  ready  for  the  press,  I  learned  that  the 
Reverend  Mestres,  pastor  of  the  parish  of  Monterey,  where  Father  Serra 
lived,  worked  and  died,  had  just  begun  a  translation.  It  was  evident  that 
it  could  not  he  completed  in  time  to  be  issued  in  the  bi-centennial  year, 
hence  it  was  decided  to  proceed  with  this  publication.  Father  Mestres  resolv- 
ing to  devote  himself  to  some  other  work  to  perpetuate  his  predecessor's 
blessed  memory. 

It  should  clearly  he  understood  that  I  am  not  the  translator  of  the  work. 
It  was  done  by  Professor  C.  Scott  Williams,  of  Los  Angeles.  It  makes  no 
pretense  to  scholarship,  yet  its  general  accuracy  may  be  relied  upon.  It  is 
free,  hut  takes  no  liberties  with  the  text,  and  as  I  personally  supervised  the 
work,  I  can  promise  that  the  spirit  of  the  original  is  closely  followed. 

To  guard  against  inaccuracies  of  statement  in  regard  to  the  Catholic 
Church,  points  of  doctrine,  or  matters  pertaining  to  the  Franciscan  Order, 
Father  Englehardt  generously  and  graciously  went  over  the  manuscript,  so 
that  faithful  sons  and  daughters  of  the  Church  may  read  it  with  confidence 
and  satisfaction. 

In  the  few  notes,  placed  for  convenience  in  an  Appendix,  there  is  no 
attempt  to  do  more  than  make  all  points  in  the  text  intelligible.  The  transla- 
tions from  the  Latin  are  made  by  a  devout  son  of  Ignatius  Loyola,  now  resid- 
ing in  what  remains  of  the  Mission  of  Santa  Clara,  so  often  referred  to  in 
Palou's  narrative. 

My  own  devotion  and  veneration  for  Padre  Serra  are  well-enough  known 
to  render  their  redeclaration  unnecessary,  yet  I  am  constrained  to  affirm 
that  there  are  few  ^^ Lives''  that  so  stir  my  heart  to  devotion  to  God  and 
earnest  endeavors  to  work  for  the  uplift  of  my  needy  fellows  as  does  this  recital 
of  the  simple,  unselfish  and  self-sacrificing  Life  of  Junipero  Serra.  God 
needs  thousands  more  of  such  men;  struggling  mankind  needs  them;  Cali- 
fornia needs  them;  the  world  needs  them.  They  are  sadly  rare.  We  gaze 
upon  too  few  of  them.  If  this  translation  inspires  one  heart,  masculine  or 
feminine,  to  become  another  Apostle  of  Humanity,  flinging  itself  into  the 
needful  work  of  the  uplift  of  the  California  of  to-day  with  the  glorious  aban^- 
don,  exuberant  enthusiasm,  unquenchable  zeal,  and  fervent  devotion  dis- 
played by  Junipero  Serra,  my  own  heart  will  be  abundantly  satisfied. 


logS  N.  Raymond  Ave., 
Pasadena,  California. 


Table  of  Contents 

Of  the  Chapters  of  this  History  of  Northern  CaHfomia  and  of  the 
Life  of  its  Venerable  Founder,  Fr.  Junipero  Serra. 

CHAPTER  I 
Birth,  native  land  and  parents  of  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero.     He  takes  the 
habit.     The  experience  he  had  in  the  Province  before  he  sought  to  set  out  for 
America I 

CHAPTER  n , 
God  calls  him  to  be  a  minister  to  the  Heathen;  he  asks  for  a  Patent  to  go  to  the 
Indies  and  permission  is  obtained.     He  embarks  for  Cadiz.     What  occurred 
on  the  way 6 

CHAPTER  HI 
The  delay  in  Cadiz;  the  embarcation  for  Vera  Cruz;  and  what  happened  on  the 

voyage 12 

CHAPTER  IV , 
The  journey  on  foot  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Mexico  City  which  the  Venerable  Father 

undertook l6 

CHAPTER  V 
The  Venerable  Father  arrives  at  the  College  of  San  Fernando;  what  he  did  there 

up  to  the  time  of  his  departure  for  his  mission  to  the  pagans 20 

CHAPTER  VI 
He  leaves  for  the  Missions  in  the  Sierra  Gorda.    His  labor  and  life  among  them    .       23 

CHAPTER  VII 
Continuation  of  the  same 27 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Continuation  of  the  same 34 

Letter  of  his  Excellency  the  Viceroy,  Marquis  of  Croix 36 

Letter  of  his  Illustrious,  the  Archbishop  Don  Francisco  Antonio  Lorenzana,  now 

Archbishop  of  Toledo .,...,.,.,       36 

xiii 


xiv  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  IX 
He  comes  to  Mexico  in  answer  to  the  call  of  his  Superior,  to  undertake  the  Missions 

of  San  Saba.     The  reasons  why  this  work  was  not  undertaken     ....       38 

CHAPTER  X 
Occupations  and  experiences  which  he  had  in  the  College  and  the  Missions  where 

he  went  out  to  preach 42 

CHAPTER  XI 
Peculiar  experiences  which  he  had  in  his  Missions  among  the  Faithful    ....       4^ 

CHAPTER  XII 
He  starts  for  California  with  fifteen  Missionaries  in  order  to  do  the  work  in  that 

country 52 

CHAPTER  XIII 
All  the  Missionaries  embark.     What  happened  to  his  Reverence  on  his  arrival  in 

California 55 

CHAPTER  XIV 
Operations  of  the  Land  Expedition  which  left  Loreto  under  the  Venerable  Father 

and  its  arrival  among  the  pagans  where  thefirst  Mission  was  begun      ...       62 

CHAPTER  XV 
The  Venerable  Father  founds  thefirst  Mission  which  he  dedicates  to  San  Fernando, 

and  then  leaves  with  the  expedition  for  the  port  of  San  Diego 68 

CHAPTER  XVI 
Copy  of  a  letter  which  the  Venerable  Father  wrote  and  what  was  determined  in  San 

Difigo  as  to  the  expedition 74 

CHAPTER  XVII 
Founding  of  the  second  Mission  of  San  Diego  and  what  happened  in  it   ....       79 

CHAPTER  XVIII 
The  expedition  returned  to  San  Diego  without  having  found  the  port  of  Monterey; 

the  results  which  this  unexpected  situation  caused 85 

CHAPTER  XIX 
Letter  of  the  Venerable  Father,  and  what  I  did  in  view  of  the  same      ....       88  / 

CHAPTER  XX 
The  work  the  Venerable  Father  undertook  in  order  that  the  Mission  of  San  Diego 

and  the  Port  might  not  be  abandoned 91 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  xv 

CHAPTER  XXI 
The  ship  arrives  at  San  Diego  and  the  various  expeditions  leave  for  the  port  of 

Monterey 94 

CHAPTER  XXII 
The  expeditions  arrive  at  the  port  of  Monterey  and  the  Mission  and  the  garrison 

of  San  Carlos 98 

CHAPTER  XXIII 
Devout  expressions  of  his  Excellency  the  Marquis  de  Croix,  on  hearing  of  the 

discovery  of  Monterey 103 

Copy  of  the  printed  account  of  the  discovery  of  Monterey  by  order  of  His  Excellency  .     1 04 

CHAPTER  XXIV 
Necessary  dispositions  made  by  His  Excellency  for  the  new  establishments  in  view 

of  the  report  of  the  Venerable  Father  President  Fr.  Juniper 0  Serra    .     .     .     107 

CHAPTER  XXV 
Voyage  of  the  thirty  Missionaries  who  left  the  College  for  Lower  and   Upper 

California no 

CHAPTER  XXVI 

Arrival  of  the  ten  Missionaries  with  the  new  and  helpful  provisions.    The  use  made 

of  them  by  the  Venerable  Father 114 

CHAPTER  XXVII 
The  founding  of  the  Mission  of  SajLAMiQuio  de  Padua 117 

CHAPTER  XXVIII 
The  Venerable  Father  transfers  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos  to  the  Carmel  River. 

The  things  which  he  did  there 123 

CHAPTER  XXIX 

The  arrival  of  the  six  Missionaries  at  San  Diego  and  the  establishment  of  the 

Mission  of  San  Gabriel 126 

CHAPTER  XXX 
The  Venerable  Father  sends  his  companion  to  study  conditions  in  the  Port  of  our 

Father,  San  Francisco 130 

CHAPTER  XXXI 

Letter  of  the  Venerable  Father,  with  some  other  news  of  the  arrival  of  the  ships     .     .     133 

CHAPTER  XXXII 
The  Venerable  Father  goes  down  to  San  Diego  and  on  the  way  founds  the  Mission 

of  San  Luis  [Obispo]        - 136 


xvi  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XXXIII 
The  Venerable  Father  continues  his  journey,  visits  the  Mission  of  San  Gabriel. 

What  he  did  on  his  arrival  at  San  Diego 139 

CHAPTER  XXXIV 
Voyage  of  the  Venerable  Father  from  San  Bias  to  Mexico.     Copy  of  the  letter 
which  he  wrote  me  from  Tepic  and  the  things  which  happened  to  him  on  the 
way 143 

CHAPTER  XXXV 

Favorable  actions  which  he  succeeded  in  obtaining  from  his  Excellency,  the  Viceroy, 

for  the  Spirittial  Conquest 147 

CHAPTER  XXXVI 
L^-fiie  leaves  Mexico  for  San  Bias  and  embarks  for  the  Missions  of  Monterey    .     .     .     153 

CHAPTER  XXXVII 
The  Frigate  sails  on  the  expedition  of  examination  of  the  coast  and  sends  two 
Missionary  Fathers  on  the  expedition.     Makes  a  second  trip  for  the  same 

purpose 156 

Second  expedition 157 

Letter  of  his  Excellency  the  Viceroy  Bucareli  to  the  V.  F.  Fr.  Juniper 0    .      .      .      .      160  v^ 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

Third  expedition  for  the  examination  of  the  Coast 161 

Copy  of  the  letter  of  the  Viceroy,  together  with  postscript 165*^ 

CHAPTER  XXXIX 
The  Venerable  Father  President  continues  his  Apostolic  labors  after  his  arrival  at 

the  Mission  of  San  Carlos 168 

CHAPTER  XL 
Death  of  the  V.  F.  Fr.  Luis  Jayme.     What  happened  in  the  Mission  of  San  Diego  .     171 

CHAPTER  XLI 
y^--' Arrival  at  Monterey  of  the  sad  news  from  San  Diego,  and  what  they  did  in  view  of 

the  same.     Copy  of  two  letters  from  Viceroy  Bucareli 1 79 

CHAPTER  XLII 
The  Venerable  Father  goes  down  to  San  Diego  and  tries  to  re-establish  the  Mission. 

His  desires  are  frustrated.     Other  communications 185 

Copy  of  the  letter  of  the  Viceroy,  Bucareli 188^ 

CHAPTER  XLIII 
Soldiers  arrive  with  orders  which  are  favorable  to  the  re-establishment  of  the  Mission 

of  San  Diego,  and  the  founding  of  the  Mission  of  San  Juan  Capistrano      .     .     190 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  xvii 

CHAPTER  XLIV 
Provisions  made  by  the  Venerable  Father  for  the  founding  of  the  Mission  of  our 

Father t  Saint  Francis 195 

CHAPTER  XLV 
Foundingof  the  Garrison  and  Mission  of  our  Father,  Saint  Francis       ....     200 

CHAPTER  XLVI 
Founding  of  the  Mission  of  Santa  Clara  212 

CHAPTER  XLVII 
Father  Juniper  0  visits  these  Missions  of  the  North  and  a  Spanish  town  is  founded   .     216 
Founding  of  the  Spanish  town  under  the  name  of  San  Jose  of  Guadalupe      .      .      .     218 

CHAPTER  XLVIII 

The  Venerable  Father  Juniper 0  receives  the  Apostolic  right  to  confirm.    He  exercises 

it  in  his  Mission  and  embarks  on  a  voyage  to  the  south  for  the  same  purpose      ,     219 

CHAPTER  XLIX 

He  continues  confirming  in  his  Mission.  He  receives  the  special  news  of  the  new 
Mexican  government.  He  comes  to  visit  and  to  confirm  in  the  "yew  Missions 
of  the  North  where  he  receives  the  news  of  the  death  of  J^Excellency  the  Vice- 
roy, Bucareli ^ 222 

Copy  of  the  letter  of  the  new  Commander  General,  Caballero  ae  Croix       ....     223 


V 


CHAPTER  L 


The  Governor  of  the  Province  raises  difficulty  concerning  Fr.  Junipero's  right  to 
confirm  and  by  having  recourse  to  military  ^^rity  forbids  him.  The 
matter  is  settled  by  establishing  the  right.  He^main  gives  confirmation  in  the 
Northern  Missions.  On  hmreturn  his  fglov^d  companion  and  disciple,  Fr. 
Juan  Crespi,  dies 227 


IhcmriA'  of 


CHAPTER  LI 
Establishments  on  the  Chc^nA^'of  Santa  Barbara.     Founding  of  the  Spanish 
town,  and  of  the  Missiotrof  San  Buenaventura  and  of  the  Garrison  of  Santa 
Barbara.     The  sad  occurr^^&s  on  the  Colorado  River 233 

CHAPTER  LH 
More  about  the  Foundations  of  the  Channel.    For  this  purpose  Father  Junipero 
goes  down  to  the  Mission  of  San  Gabriel  and  founds  the  Mission  of  San 
Buenaventura 237 

CHAPTER  LIII 

The  news  of  what  happened  at  the  Colorado  River  is  given  out,  as  well  as  the  results 
of  the  expedition.  The  garrison  of  Santa  Barbara  is  established.  The  Ven- 
erable Father  goes  up  to  his  Mission  in  Monterey 242 


xviii  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  LIV 
More  about  the  same  matter  respecting  the  founding  of  the  garrison  of  Santa 

Barbara 249 

CHAPTER  LV 
The  foundation  work  of  the  Channel  is  suspended,  much  to  the  regret  of  the  Vener- 
able Father  Junipero 252 

CHAPTER  LVI 
Help  arrives  in  the  person  of  two  Missionaries,     The  Venerable  Father  sets  out  to 

visit  the  Missions  in  the  South 256 

CHAPTER  LVII 
t^  The  last  visit  which  he  makes  to  the  Missions  of  the  North 261 

CHAPTER  LVIII 
The  exemplary  death  of  the  Venerable  Father  Fr.  Junipero 266 

CHAPTER  LIX 
Solemn  burial  of  the  Venerable  Father 275 

CHAPTER  LX 
Devouthonorswhichweremadeontheseventhday  to  the  Venerable  Father    .      .      .     280 

THE  LAST  CHAPTER 
In  which  a  summing  up  is  made  of  the  peculiar  virtues  which  shone  forth  in  this 

servant  of  God,  Fray  Junipero 285 

1.  Profound  Humility. 

2.  Cardinal  Virtues. 

Prudence 294 

Justice 296 

Strength 301 

Temperance 305 

3.  Theological  Virtues. 

Faith 310 

Hope 316 

Charity  and  Religion 318 

Conclusion  of  the  work  and  remarks  to  the  inquisitive  reader  and  a  Final  Protest.  323 
Letter  of  The  Venerable  Mother,  Maria  de  Jesus  de  Agreda,  written  to  the  Fathers 

of  the  Custody  of  New  Mexico 327 

APPENDIX 
Notes  to  Patau's  Text 335 


TRANSLATION  OF 

FRANCISCO  PALOU'S 

LIFE  OF  PADRE  JUNIPERO  SERRA 


Dedicatory  Letter  and  Protest  of  the  Author 

Addressed  to  the  Most  Observant  Province  of  Mallorca. 
In  the  name  of  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph: 
To  the  Very  Reverend  Father  and  Minister  of  the  Province, 
and  to  the  other  Reverend  Fathers  and  Reverend  Brethren: 

BEING  desirous  of  perpetuating  in  the  minds  of  all  the 
Venerable  and  Reverend  Fathers  as  well  as  of  the 
future  sons  of  this  Holy  Province,  my  revered  Mother,  the 
memory  of  the  Apostolic  Labors  of  my  venerated  Father, 
Teacher  and  Lector,  Fr.  Junipero  Serra,  illustrious  Son,  so 
well  known  and  esteemed  by  this  his  sacred  Mother,  I  take 
up  my  pen  in  order  to  make  a  record  of  his  most  conspicuous 
deeds  and  of  his  unwearying  zeal:  deeds  which  naturally 
and  rightly  with  rich  fruitage  return  again  to  their  source, 
as  do  the  waters  of  the  lucid  stream  or  of  the  mighty  river 
to  the  glorious  fountain-head  from  which  their  copious  and 
life-giving  waters  had  burst  forth,  to  replenish  by  their 
healthful  overflow  the  lives  of  remote  peoples  and  widely 
extended  lands. 

This  holy  and  most  religious  Province  has  been  blessed 
in  the  producing,  first  in  the  preceding  century  the  dis- 
tinguished Founder  of  the  Apostolic  Institute  in  both  old 
and  new  Spain,  that  distinguished  son,  ecstatic  man,  sono- 
rous Clarion  of  the  Gospel  whose  echoes  have  resounded  in 
admirable  harmony  in  both  worlds,  our  venerated  Father 
and  Founder,  Fr.  Antonio  Linaz:  and  second,  in  the  middle 
of  the  present  century  a  disciple  for  the  College  of  San 
Fernando  of  Mexico,  and  a  member  of  the  same  Apostolic 

xxi 


xij  DEDICATORY  LETTER 

institute  for  the  propagation  of  the  Faith,  Father  Junipero 

*  Serra,  Founder  of  ten  Missions  in  this  peninsula  of  the 
CaHfornias  and  who  left  in  project  others  which  for  lack  of 
laborers  in  the  Gospel  could  not  be  properly  founded.  If 
this  sacred  Province  had  but  known  how  to  produce  a  grove 

1  of  such  "juniper"  trees,  there  would  not  have  remained  by 
now,  in  all  that  wide  region  of  pagan  people,  a  single  heathen 
of  savage  life,  but  all  would  have  been  civilized  and  con- 
verted to  our  Holy  Catholic  Faith. 

,  And  in  truth  of  such  holy  ardor  were  the  desires  of  this 
seraphic  and  Apostolic  Junipero  that  neither  the  serious  and 
constant  illness  which  befell  him,  nor  the  distress  of  his 
continuous  and  lengthy  journeys,  nor  the  hardships  and 
roughness  of  the  roads,  nor  the  lack  of  necessary  food,  nor 
the  savagery  of  the  untamed  and  fierce  inhabitants  were 
able  to  detain  the  cotirse  of  his  Apostolic  efforts.  At  the 
cost  of  immense  fatigue  he  caused  the  day  of  the  true 
religion  to  dawn  on  as  many  nations  as  were  the  number  of 
the  Missions  which  he  founded,  and  which  alone  in  this  new 

»  region  of  California  reach  the  nimiber  of  nine,  all  of  them 
alive  and  flourishing  in  the  very  center  of  heathenism,  far 
remote  from  Catholic  lands,  and  having  for  their  nearest 
neighbor  another  Mission  150  leagues  distant,  and  all  these 
surrounded  by  unbelievers.  Here  our  revered  Father 
caused  the  clarion  note  of  the  Gospel  to  resound  on  every 
side  and  he  lived  to  see,  in  these  nine  Missions  alone,  the 

,  conversion  of  five  thousand,  eight  hundred  and  eight  gentiles 
who  were  baptized  either  by  himself  or  his  companions, 
who,  without  fearing  the  wickedness  of  the  infernal  Jezebel, 
worked  unwearingly  under  the  shadow  of  this  leafy  ' '  Juni- 
per," helping  him  to  deliver  these  souls  from  the  slavery  of 
the  Prince  of  Darkness. 

Besides,   the  venerable  Father,   exercising  the  special 


DEDICATORY  LETTER  xxiii 

privilege  granted  him  by  our  most  Holy  Father,  Clement 
XIV,  himself  confirmed  and  administered  the  Sacrament 
(including  Spanish  and  Indian  neophytes  of  the  new  in- 
habitants) to  five  thousand,  three  hundred  and  seven,  reap- 
ing all  this  spiritual  fruitage  at  the  cost  of  continuous  travel- 
ing by  land  and  sea,  for  if  the  curious  reader  will  but  make 
the  computation  he  will  find  that  from  the  time  Father 
Junipero  left  the  Apostolic  College  of  San  Fernando  fori 
these  Calif omias,  he  spent  more  than  a  half  year  in  naviga- 
tion, and  by  land  walked  over  twenty  thousand  fifty  leagues, 
in  addition  to  the  journeys  made  in  New  Spain  and  in  the 
trips  taken  among  the  heathen  Fames  of  the  Sierra  Gorda, 
as  well  as  in  the  trips  made  in  his  preaching  tours  among  the 
faithful  where  he  converted  inntimerable  sinners,  awakening 
them  by  his  fervent  spirit  from  the  heavy  slumber  of  guilt 
and  showing  them  the  way  of  virtue. 

All  these  Apostolic  labors  are  glorious  trophies  of  this 
sacred  Province  to  whose  disciples  I  address  myself,  and  I 
bring  them  hither  in  this  narrative  not  in  order  that  they 
may  glory  in  them  but  rather  that  they  may  serve  as  a 
monument  to  the  burning  zeal  of  this  distinguished  Brother 
and  so  inspire  in  the  future  her  most  fervent  sons  to  follow  in 
his  glorious  footsteps  and  continue  these  arduous  and  im- 
portant conquests,  as  well  as  further  to  promote  these 
spiritual  discoveries,  until  there  shall  not  remain  in  all  this 
immense  region  (the  most  northernly  of  New  Spain  and 
entirely  inhabited  by  heathen)  a  single  unbeliever  who  has 
not  been  illumined  by  the  rays  of  our  Catholic  Religion  and 
in  order  that,  the  darkness  having  been  driven  from  that 
land,  the  Gospel  light  may  shine  upon  all. 

It  was  under  the  impulse  of  such  vivid  desires  that  my 
revered  Father  Junipero  finished  his  life  and  his  laborious 
and  Apostolic  career.     Three  days  before  he  died,  when  the 


xxiv  DEDICATORY  LETTER 

two  of  us  were  speaking  of  how  the  commission  which  had 
been  sent  to  Spain  to  make  collections  had  been  delayed  and 
on  account  of  which  and  the  lack  of  laborers  the  projected 
founding  of  two  missions,  to  be  called  ' '  La  Purisima  Con- 
cepci6n"  and  "Santa  Barbara,"  had  not  been  carried  out, 
I  said  to  him  that  perhaps  the  delay  was  due  to  the  fact  that 
no  one  of  those  of  the  "  religious  "  was  willing  to  come. 
When  he  heard  these  words  he  broke  out  with  a  great  sigh 
from  his  fervent  heart  and  said:  "If  the  friars  of  our 
*  Holy  Province  who  were  acquainted  with  the  late  Father 
Fr.  Juan  Crespi  could  see  what  he  wrought  and  the  great 
fruit  he  was  enabled  to  gather,  very  many  of  them  would  be 
encouraged  to  come.  If  they  were  but  to  read  his  diaries 
it  would  be  enough  to  move  not  a  few  of  them  to  the  point 
of  leaving  fatherland  and  convent  and  undertake  the  jour- 
ney in  order  to  have  a  part  in  this  vineyard  of  the  Lord." 
These  desires,  which  I  heard  from  the  lips  of  my  beloved 
Fr.  Lector  a  few  days  before  his  exemplary  death,  were 
brought  again  to  my  memory  a  little  later  and  I  took  it  on 
myself  to  bring  about  their  fulfillment  by  sending  to  the 
Holy  Province  the  originals  of  those  very  diaries  of  Father 
Crespi.  And  when  I  found  among  the  papers  of  Father 
Lector  Jimlpero  the  diary  which  he  had  himself  written  on 
the  outbound  journey  of  our  Expedition  for  the  purpose  of 
exploring  this  new  land  and  of  lending  a  hand  toward  its 
Spiritual  Conquest,  I  intended  also  to  remit  them,  consider- 
ing tharxhey  would  contribute  no  less  toward  the  object  for 
which  the  diaries  of  Father  Crespi  were  being  sent;  but 
afterwards,  considering  that  the  reader  would  be  very  curi- 
ous to  know  what  was  the  outcome  of  those  voyages  and  the 
fruit  for  which  this  great  Laborer  in  the  Vineyard  had  so 
intensely  yearned,  I  resolved  that  I  could  best  fulfill  his 
desire  by  myself  taking  pen  in  hand  and  writing  this  Ac- 


DEDICATORY  LETTER  xxv 

count.  This  I  did  only  after  a  long  struggle  in  which  I 
overcame  the  feeling  of  my  unworthiness  and  the  fear  that 
all  I  was  saying  was  simply  the  effect  of  my  deep  passion 
for  this  beloved  Disciple  and  Companion  whom  I  had  fol- 
lowed in  nearly  all  his  pilgrimages.  It  is  true  that  since  the 
year  1740  up  to  the  year  1784,  in  which  death  separated  us,  * 
I  had  enjoyed  his  very  especial  affection  and  that  we  had 
mutually  loved  each  other  more  than  do  those  who  are 
brothers  by  the  ties  of  blood.  This  friendship  was  not 
unknown  to  the  said  Holy  Province  and  for  a  long  time  it 
served  to  hold  back  my  pen. 

I  was  finally  led  to  a  decision  by  the  reading  of  the  pref- 
ace which  Saint  Gregory  Nazianzen  uses  in  introducing 
the  funeral  oration  pronounced  over  his  sister,  the  holy 
Saint  Gorgonia:  ''Cum  sororem  laudo,  admiror  domestical 
quae  non  ideo  falsa  sunt,  quia  domestica,  sed  vera,  ac  ideo 
laude  digna:  vera  autem,  quoniam  non  solimi  justa,  sed  et 
manifeste  cognita  .  .  .  solum  ea  laudabimus,  et  ea  tace- 
bimus,  quae  laude,  vel  silentio  digna  erunt.  Sane  prae 
omnibus  rebus  est  absurdissimum,  ut  propinqui  laude  pri- 
ventur  debita,  etc."^ 

I  was  also  helped  to  overcome  my  sense  of  inability  by  the 
reflection  that  I  was  going  to  write,  not  for  the  ear  but  for 
the  heart,  as  Seneca  counsels  us.  "Scribendum  animo, 
non  auribus.  "^  My  task  reduced  itself  simply  to  the  work 
of  writing  an  account  of  the  truth,  which,  as  Saint  Bernard 
has  indicated,  is  not  difficult  but  rather  easy,  because  it  is 
not  necessary  to  cover  it  over  with  an  artificial  veil  of  colors. 
"Sermo:  verae  puritatis,  vel  purae  veritatis  debet  esse,  est 
facilis,  nee  artificioso  colorum  velamine  debet  opacari."^ 

And  finally  I  considered  that  I  was  going  to  write  this 
true  account  and  send  it  to  said  Province,  my  Holy  Mother, 
who  as  such  would  overlook  its  faults,  and  as  a  mother  would 


xxvi  DEDICATORY  LETTER 

see  to  it  that  the  skill  of  her  chronicler  wotild  cleanse  it 
from  its  defects  so  that  the  reading  of  the  same  woiild  not 
bring  weariness  instead  of  edification  and  tenderness.  Hav- 
ing thus  conquered  all  the  difficulties  which  presented  them- 
selves for  the  purpose  of  deterring  me,  and  animated  by  the 
united  voice  of  my  Companions,  the  Ministers  and  Mission- 
aries who  had  labored  under  the  guidance  of  the  late  Father, 
and  his  Companions  also  in  the  work  of  this  Spiritual  Con- 
quest, and  moved  also  by  the  sense  of  what  I  owe  to  my 
very  dear  Father,  Teacher  and  Lector,  Fr.  Junipero  Serra, 
and  also  by  the  sense  of  what  I  owe  to  this  Holy  Province, 
my  venerated  Mother,  and  wishing  that  she  may  not  lack 
these  edifying  news  of  the  Apostolic  labors  of  the  said 
Father,  her  beloved  son,  and  the  news  also  of  the  spiritual 
fruit  which  through  them  has  been  gathered  for  the  Holy 
Church  by  increasing  for  her  the  number  of  her  children  as 
well  as  bringing  under  our  most  Catholic  sovereign  these 
vassals  of  his  far  reaching  and  distant  dominions,  I  have 
resolved  to  undertake  the  following  Narrative.  But  first 
of  all,  I  beg  that  the  reverend  Fathers  and  Brethren  will  all 
read  or  hear  read  the  following  Protest. 

PROTEST 

As  a  true  son  of  our  Mother,  the  Holy  Church,  in  obe- 
dience to  the  decrees  of  the  Sacred  General  Inquisition, 
confirmed  by  Our  Most  Holy  Father  Urban  VHI :  I  declare 
and  affirm  that  in  none  of  the  things  which  I  may  say  in 
the  following  Account  of  the  V.  F.  Fr.  Junipero  Serra,  and 
of  the  other  Missionaries  of  whom  I  may  make  mention, 
do  I  pretend  or  intend  that  they  should  be  given  more 
credence  than  they  may  deserve  as  in  a  simply  human  his- 
tory; nor  that  in  the  eulogizing  of  him  as  "the  Venerable '* 


DEDICATORY  LETTER  xxvii 

or  the  use  of  other  titles  which  I  may  give  to  this  great 
Laborer  in  the  Vineyard  of  the  Lord,  or  which  I  may  apply 
to  other  Missionaries  whom  I  call  Martyrs,  because  they 
have  left  the  security  of  the  Convent  with  no  other  purpose 
than  to  dedicate  themselves  to  the  conversion  of  the  heathen 
and  whom  these  same  heathen  cruelly  slew,  is  it  my  intention 
that  these  epithets  shall  lift  them  any  higher  than  that  of 
all  human  honor,  as  accords  with  the  style  of  prudent  and 
devoted  piety. 

I  do  so  protest,  declare  and  affirm  in  this  Mission  of  our 
Seraphic  Father  San  Francisco,  the  most  northerly  of  New 
California,  in  its  port,  on  the  twenty-eighth  day  of  February 
of  the  year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  eighty-five. 

•  Fr.  Francisco  Palou. 

Judgment  of    the   Doctor  and    Master,   Don   Joseph 
Serruto,  Prebendary  and  Dean  "of  this  Holy  Metropolitan 
Church,  etc. 
Most  Excellent  Sir: 

This  Historic  account  which  your  Excellency  has  sent  to  me  for  my 
censure  or  approval,  I  find  to  be  dictated  by  the  mature  judgment  of 
the  Rev.  F.  Guardian  Fr.  Francisco  Palou,  with  ingenuousness,  precision 
and  timeliness,  not  only  for  the  glory  of  that  Apostolic  man  of  whom 
he  was  treating,  but  that  he  may  also  serve  as  a  model  for  those  who 
may  follow  him,  and  as  well  for  the  edification  of  all  who  may  read  the 
work,  as  I  do  not  find  in  any  part  of  it  anything  offensive  or  opposed 
either  to  the  Majesty  of  His  royal  person  the  King,  or  to  the  laws  con- 
cerning publications.  For  this  reason  I  deem  that  the  work  is  worthy  of 
being  given  to  the  public. 

At  my  office  on  the  29th  of  November  of  the  year  1786. 

Joseph  Serruto. 

Opinion  of  the  Rev.  Fr.  Dr.  and  Master,  Don  Juan 
Gregorio  de  Campos,  Superior  of  the  Congregation  of  the 
Oratory  of  San  Felipe  Neri,  of  this  City  of  Mexico. 


xxviii  DEDICATORY  LETTER 

Very  Rev.  Vicar  General: 

In  fulfillment  of  your  Reverence's  decree,  I  have  examined  with 
attention  and  also  with  pleasure  the  ''Historic  Account  of  the  Life  and 
Apostolic  Labors  of  the  Venerable  Father  Fr.  Jimipero  Serra,  Apostolic 
Missionary  of  the  College  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  of  this  Capital 
City,"  written  by  the  Rev.  Father  Fr.  Francisco  Palou,  at  present 
Guardian  of  the  same  Apostolic  College.  I  had  the  pleasiure  of  knowing 
and  communicating  with  the  Venerable  Father,  and  indeed  in  his  face 
and  behavior  there  could  be  read  the  most  exact  obedience  to  the 
Seraphic  Rule,  the  most  continuous  mortification  of  his  spirit,  the  most 
htmible  wisdom,  and  an  ardent  zeal  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen 
and  the  reform  of  Christians.  This  is  also  vividly  stamped  on  all  the 
steps  he  took,  in  all  the  countries  he  visited  and  in  all  the  labors  in  which 
he  suffered,  in  order  to  bring  the  Hght  of  the  Gospel  to  a  savage,  numer- 
ous and  distant  heathendom.  And  after  he  had  paid  the  common  trib- 
ute, and  death  had  put  an  end  to  his  Apostolic  career,  it  might  be  said 
that  he  has  ceased  to  preach,  to  propagate  the  name  of  Christ  and  to 
convert  the  unbelievers;  but  we  are  persuaded  to  the  contrary  when  we 
contemplate  his  labors  and  fatigues  in  those  rough,  imknown  and 
dangerous  roads,  the  efforts  he  made  to  instruct  himself  in  the  various 
•-dialects  in  order  to  please  the  Indians  by  gaining  first  their  good  will  and 
later  their  understanding;  the  progress  that  Christianity  made  in  those 
countries  and  the  blessings  which  God  showered  upon  them;  when  we 
contemplate,  I  say,  all  this,  and  when  we  read  the  detailed  accounts  of 
his  preaching,  of  the  number  of  fervent  friars  of  the  provinces  of  Spain 
and  of  the  Indies  and  also  the  niunber  of  the  secular  priesthood  who  will 
feel  themselves  moved,  by  the  odor  of  these  perfumes  from  his  life,  to 
follow  his  laborious  example  and  employ  themselves  in  this  high  and 
worthy  ministry.  So  we  may  say  that  it  is  his  mouth  and  tongue  that 
through  these  preaches  and  will  preach,  even  after  his  circumstantiated, 
foreseen  and  peculiar  death;  and  Father  Junipero  will  continue  to  preach 
not  only  to  the  unbelievers,  but  to  the  very  preachers  themselves,  to 
those  who  by  the  marvelous  happenings  of  his  life  will  find  a  prepared, 
approved  and  successful  method  of  converting  those  souls. 

And  how  thankful  shotdd  those  be  who  were  formerly  unbelievers 
and  are  such  no  longer,  as  well  as  those  were  of  the  truly  faithful,  to  the 
Rev.  Father  Palou,  who  has  been  so  solicitous  in  carefully  preparing  this 
monument  which  he  leaves  of  the  precious  life  of  his  beloved  Teacher,  in 


DEDICATORY  LETTER  xxix 

order  that  his  pen  may  be  the  organ  through  which  sound  forth  the 
Apostolic  tones  without  confusion  or  discord  in  all  that  he  has  written, 
because  the  writer  is  so  careful  to  observe  all  the  laws  of  the  historian  and 
is  faithful  to  his  clear  and  simple  style,  and  at  the  same  time  attractive 
and  beautiful,  using  always  pure  expressions,  a  natural  order,  an  un- 
corruptible veracity.  This  the  reader  will  acknowledge  beyond  all 
doubt,  no  matter  how  indifferent  he  may  be,  or  even  if  he  be  opposed  to 
the  whole  matter.  In  view  of  all  this,  this  work  not  only  does  not  con- 
tain anything  opposed  to  our  Holy  Faith  and  to  good  custom,  but  it  is 
most  worthy  to  be  given  to  the  public,  in  order  properly  to  honor  the 
memory  of  this  Servant  of  God,  in  order  to  satisfy  the  desires  of  his  de- 
voted disciple,  in  order  to  stimulate  the  fervor  of  other  laborers,  in  order 
to  testify  to  the  zeal  of  our  Monarch  in  the  propagation  of  the  Catholic 
Faith,  and  in  order  to  glorify  God. 

The  chief  House  of  the  Oratory  of  Mexico,  November  23,  1786. 
Dr.  and  Master,  Juan  Gregorio  Campos. 

Letter  and  Opinion  which  are  sent  to  the  author  by 
the  Rev.  FF.  Fr.  Francisco  Garcia  Figueroa,  formerly 
Provincial  of  the  Holy  Province  of  the  Holy  Gospel  and 
Father  of  the  Province  of  Havana  and  of  that  of  Yucatan, 
Lector  Emeritus  and  Official  of  the  Holy  Office;  and  also 
Fr.  Manuel  Camino,  Lector  Emeritus,  and  Ex-Definitor  of 
the  Sacred  Province  of  the  Holy  Gospel,  Official  of  the  Holy 
Office,  and  both  of  them  of  the  Convent  of  the  Recollection 
of  Saint  Cosmas. 

To  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian  of  the  Apostolic  College  of  San  Fernando, 
Fr.  Francisco  Palou: 
We  thank  you  for  your  confidence  and  at  the  same  time  for  the  pleas- 
ure caused  by  the  reading  of  the  manuscript  which  contains  the  Life  and 
the  great  virtues  of  the  Reverend  Father,  the  Venerable  Fr.  Junipero 
Serra,  Apostolic  Missionary  and  son  of  your  Holy  College.  Your  care- 
ful judgment  has  led  you  to  submit  the  same  to  our  inspection  in  order 
that  we  might  say  whether  in  our  opinion,  speaking  ingenuously,  it  was 
worthy  of  being  printed,  having  in  mind  its  argimient,  its  diction  and 
composition.     The  Seraphic  Order  is  a  most  abundant  cloud  of  Grace,  | 


XXX  DEDICATORY  LETTER 

f  so  that  when  it  does  not  rain  down  saints,  it  allows  to  trickle  down  here 
and  there,  and  at  different  times,  most  exemplary  men  who  have  been 
worthy  sons  of  our  Seraphic  Saint  Francis  and  partaking  of  his  spirit. 
Thus  it  is  that  we  daily  see  fulfilled  the  promise  which  our  Lord  made 

'•  when  he  said  that  there  would  never  lack  in  our  Order  perfect  men. 

One  of  these,  and  among  those  few,  in  comparison,  in  otir  religion,  is 
the  Reverend  and  Venerable  Father  Fr.  Junipero,  as  is  shown  by  his 
admirable  virtues.  It  is  these  which  your  reverence  proposes  to  publish 
for  the  edification  of  the  public  and  the  comfort  of  the  pious  and  for  the 
encouragement  of  those  Apostolic  Missionaries  who  will  especially  find  in 
this  perfect  Missionary  a  model  and  powerful  inducement  to  continue 
their  arduous  tasks  for  the  sake  of  saving  souls.  We  wish  we  all  might 
know  the  preciousness  and  excellence  of  his  work,  for  besides  the  edifica- 
tion of  all  that  would  grow  out  of  it,  the  friars  themselves,  with  a  larger 
appreciation  of  what  they  are  themselves  doing,  will  be  inspired  more  and 
more  to  imitate  this  Apostolic  model  which  you  have  presented  to  them. 
For,  indeed,  with  what  may  we  compare,  or  what  praise  or  appreciation 
may  reach  the  merit  of  these  men  who,  ordinarily  observing  within  the 
cloister  walls  of  their  college  an  austere  religious  life,  busy  continually 
with  the  divine  services,  with  confessions,  and  many  other  sacred  offices, 

.  find  their  recreation  in  going  out,  like  the  life-giving  rays  of  the  sun,  to 
sanctify  with  their  Missions  all  of  northern  America?  For,  in  fact,  they 
have  converted  the  sinners  of  entire  towns,  without  there  being  a  single 
one  who  could  escape  from  their  zeal,  their  diligence  and  effort  being  so 
great  that  even  the  supremest  obstinacy  had  to  yield  to  the  thimder  and 
lightning  of  the  voice  of  the  Missions,  so  that  it  seemed  as  though  God 
himself  spoke  through  them  and  added  His  own  effort  in  bringing  about 
the  conversions.  We  see  this  in  the  fact  that  many  of  those  who  had 
resisted  grace  for  so  many  years,  after  first  showing  unequivocal  signs 
of  true  pain  and  repentance,  were  admitted  to  absolution  with  much 
confidence  and  consolation. 

And  if  the  sufferings  were  so  great  in  the  work  of  the  conversion  of 
the  believers,  what  must  have  been  the  fatigues  endured  in  reducing  to 

V  Christianity  the  untamed  Indian  barbarians,  lacking  in  every  element  of 
civilization  and  almost  without  the  mind  to  reason?  Only  those  can 
understand  who  have  had  experience  in  the  afflictions  and  the  multitude 
of  hardships  which  of  necessity  accompany  so  arduous  a  task  and 
among  such  a  people.    We  can  only  wonder  at  the  zeal  with  which  they 


DEDICATORY  LETTER  xxxi 

endured  the  labor,  especially  when  we  remember  how  very  many  of 
these  people  were  converted  and  how  the  Missions  have  almost  multi- 
plied daily. 

For  all  these  reasons  the  work  of  Your  Reverence  appears  to  us  to  be 
most  timely,  especially  as,  in  the  Life  of  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero 
which  you  give  us,  we  have  so  very  recent  and  so  well  known  a  model. 
Men  of  this  sort  have  a  certain  efficiency  and  power  which  easily  excite  \ 
others  to  imitate  them,  partly  because  men  are  naturally  prone  to  follow 
after  novelties  and  partly  because  they  have  to  overcome  a  certain 
almost  imperceptible  prejudice  which  leads  us  to  think  that  things  natu- 
rally, in  the  course  of  time,  lose  their  original  virtues  so  that  it  seems 
quite  impossible  that  the  last  group  of  workers  should  reach  the  high 
degree  of  perfection  which  characterized  the  first.  The  deeds  of  the 
Rev.  Fr.  Junipero  have  set  at  naught  such  an  unwarrantable  inference. 
And  so  it  remains  for  us  to  most  sincerely  thank  you  on  our  part,  as  in- 
deed all  should  do,  for  having  undertaken  this  task,  which  must  have 
been  a  burden  to  you  at  a  time  when  you  were  entitled  very  justly  to  rest 
from  your  labors.  Your  Paternity  has  indeed  moistened  your  brow  with 
sweat  as  you  have  labored  for  many  years  in  the  tasks  of  the  Apostolic 
Mission,  and  it  was  right  that  you  should  have  enjoyed  the  quiet  and 
retirement  of  your  cell,  or  at  least  that  you  should  not  add  new  burdens 
to  your  unbroken  years  of  service.  But  your  zeal  has  recognized  no 
difficulties,  nor  has  stopped  at  the  call  of  time,  or  of  labor.  Your  work, 
besides  being  very  useful,  as  we  have  said,  is  well  planned  and  prepared 
and  for  that  reason  it  seems  to  us  that  it  should  be  published.  You  may 
therefore  lay  aside  any  fears  on  that  score.  May  God  keep  you  many 
years. 

Convent  of  the  Recollection  of  Saint  Cosmas,  March  12,  1787. 
Your  affectionate  Brothers  and  Servants, 

Fr.  Francisco  Garcia  Figueroa. 
Fr.  Manuel  Gaming. 

LICENSE  FROM  THE  VICEROYAL  GOVERNMENT 

The  Royal  Audiencia  governing  this  New  Spain,  having 
noted  the  opinion  which  precedes,  emitted  by  the  Doctor 
and  Master  Don  Joseph  Serruto,  Prebendary  and  Dean  of 


xxxii  DEDICATORY  LETTER 

this  Holy  Metropolitan,  has  granted  the  license  to  print 
this  book  of  the  "Historical  Account  of  the  Life  and 
Apostolic  Labors  of  the  Venerable  Father  Fr.  Junipero  Ser- 
ra,"  by  its  decree  of  the  seventh  of  December  of  the  year 
1786. 

LICENSE  OF  THE  ORDINARY 

Doctor  Don  Miguel  Primo  de  Rivera,  Prebendary  of  this  Sacred 
Metropolitan  Church,  Judge,  and  Vicar  General  of  this  Archbishopric, 
etc.,  having  noted  the  Opinion  of  the  Rev.  Doctor  and  Master  Don  Juan 
Gregorio  de  Campos,  Superior  of  the  Congregation  of  the  Oratorio  of 
San  Felipe  Neri  of  this  City,  has  granted  the  Hcense  for  the  printing  of 
this  ''Historical  Account  of  the  Life  and  ApostoHc  Labors  of  the  Vener- 
able Father  Fr.  Junipero  Serra,"  by  its  decree  of  the  24th  of  November 
of  1786. 


Prologue 

Indulgent  Reader: 

ON  taking  up  this  volume,  which  contains  an  account  of 
the  Life  of  the  Venerable  Father  Fray  Junlpero  Serra, 
you  may  suppose  (following  the  criticism  of  the  present  day) 
that  you  will  encounter  here  the  style  of  a  Bossuet  or  of  a 
Bishop  of  Nimes,  but  if  you  read  first,  as  one  naturally 
should,  the  Dedication,  you  will  know  that  this  work  was  not 
written  with  the  intention  of  giving  it  to  the  public,  but  sim- 
ply as  an  edifying  letter,  a  plain  Account  which  I  wished  to 
present  to  my  holy  Province  of  Mallorca,  of  the  Virtues  and 
Apostolic  Labors  of  the  above  mentioned  Venerable  Father, 
in  the  hope  that  the  Chronicler  of  the  Order  might  polish 
and  perfect  it,  and  adapt  it  to  his  Chronicles,  to  the  end  that 
it  might  serve  to  inspire  the  zeal  of  other  laborers  for  the 
vineyard  of  the  Lord. 

But  when  the  word  came  to  the  ears  of  some  of  the 
devoted  men  of  the  Order,  men  who  had  known  and  dealt 
with  the  Venerable  Father,  they  insisted  that  I  should 
publish  what  I  had  written,  offering  to  defray  the  expense  of 
printing,  as  indeed  they  have  done.  At  first  I  demurred, 
but  afterwards  reflecting  that  this  history,  if  widely  read  in 
this  New  Spain  might  move  some  of  the  Friars  of  the  Order 
to  enlist  in  the  task  of  conquering  new  territories  and  in 
gaining  souls  for  God,  I  finally  consented.  The  only  reason 
for  my  reluctance  was  that  I  am  very  well  aware  of  the 
defects  of  the  work  as  well  as  of  my  own  lack  of  ability,  and 
also  in  view  of  the  fact  that  I  wrote  it  among  the  heathen  I 
surroundings  of  the  Port  of  San  Francisco,  in  that  new 

xxxiii 


xxxiv  PROLOGUE 

Mission,  the  most  northerly  of  New  CaHfornia,  where  I  had 
no  access  to  books  or  the  society  of  learned  men  whom  I 
might  have  consiilted.  For  all  this  I  pray  you  to  pardon 
and  overlook  its  faults. 

In  spite  of  all  I  have  said,  I  know  very  well  that  some  of 
those  who  read  of  new  adventures  desire  that  the  historian 
seek  out  strange  ideas  and  that  he  go  stumbling  along  over 
mistakes  and  through  thorny  argtiments.  This  method, 
although  in  profane  history  it  is  allowed  and  even  applauded, 
is  reputed  as  a  vice  by  more  sensible  historians  when  applied 
to  the  biographies  of  the  saints  and  servants  of  God  which 
are  written  for  the  edification  of  the  mind  and  in  order  to 
stimulate  unto  like  effort.  I  have,  therefore,  striven  to 
avoid  that  fault. 

As  the  very  heart  of  all  history  is  the  unvarnished 
truth,  the  reader  may  console  himself  with  the  fact  that 
almost  all  I  relate  has  come  under  my  personal  observation, 
and  if  not,  it  has  been  told  me  by  the  Missionary  Fathers, 
my  companions,  who  are  all  worthy  of  being  believed. 

To  conclude,  I  do  not  forget  that  neither  Homer  among 
,the  poets,  Demosthenes  among  the  orators,  nor  Aristotle 
nor  Solon  among  the  wise,  were  free  from  error ;  for  although 
they  were  eminently  great  as  poets,  orators  and  philosophers, 
they  were  still  men.  The  limitations  of  our  nature  are  ever 
humiliating.  While  those  who  write  do  not  cease  to  be 
men,  there  will  always  be  those  who  watch  for  their  faults. 
Please  bear  in  mind  thine  own  weakness  and  have  com- 
passion upon  mine.     Farewell. 


Historic    Account    of    the    Life    and    Apostolic 

Labors   of   the   Venerable    Father 

Fray   Junipero    Serra 

OF  the  Regular  Observance  of  Our  Holy  Father  St,  Francis,  of  the 
Province  of  Mallorca;  Doctor  and  formerly  Professor  of  Sacred 
Theology  in  the  University  of  Raymond  Lull  of  the  same  Island ;  Com- 
missioner of  the  Holy  Office  in  all  New  Spain  and  the  adjacent  Islands, 
Preacher  Apostolic  of  the  College  of  Missionaries  Apostolic  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Faith,  President  and  Founder  of  the  Missions  and  of  * 
the  new  establishments  of  New  and  Northern  California  and  of  Mon- 
terey. 

CHAPTER  I 

Birthf  Native  Land  and  Parents  of  the  V.  Father  Junipero;  He  Takes  the 
Holy  Habit;  His  Activities  in  the  Province  before  He 
Thought  of  Setting  out  for  America. 

THE  indefatigable  laborer  in  the  Vineyard  of  the  Lord,  the  Venerable 
Father  Junipero  Serra,  began  his  laborious  life  on  the  24th  of 
November,  of  the  year  1 7 13.  He  was  born  at  one  in  the  morning,  in  the 
village  of  Petra,  on  the  Island  of  Mallorca.  His  parents  were  Antonio 
Serra  and  Margarita  Ferrer,  humble  laborers,  honest,  devout  and  of  ' 
model  habits.  As  if  they  had  been  well  aware  of  the  great  work  which 
he  was  to  accomplish  in  his  time,  in  the  baptizing  of  the  heathen,  these 
devout  parents  made  a  special  effort  to  have  their  son  baptized  on  the 
very  day  of  his  birth.  They  gave  him  the  name  of  Miguel  Joseph.  He 
retained  the  same  at  his  confirmation,  which  he  received  on  the  26th 
of  May,  of  the  year  171 5,  in  the  parish  church  of  the  same  village  in 
which  he  had  been  baptized. 

His  pious  parents  instructed  him  from  his  infancy  in  the  rudiments 
of  the  faith  and  in  the  holy  fear  of  God,  inclining  him,  from  the  time  he 
was  able  to  walk,  to  attend  frequently  the  church  and  convent  of  San 

I 


2         c.  :  ^\^^;  K  ]  fRANCISfO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Bernardino,  which  that  holy  Province  had  in  the  village.  The  boy's 
fatEer  was  well  liked  by  the  friars  and  whenever  he  took  his  son  Miguel 
with  him  to  the  Convent,  the  boy  won  the  affection  of  all.  Here  is 
where  he  learned  Latin,  in  which  he  soon  became  very  proficient,  and 
at  the  same  time  he  became  skilled  in  plain  chanting,  through  the  cus- 
tom which  the  Convent  Master  of  Grammar  had,  of  taking  his  pupils 
to  the  choir  on  feast  days  to  help  sing  with  the  members  of  the  com- 
munity. From  this  holy  exercise  and  from  the  pious  conversations 
which  he  heard  from  the  good  Fathers,  there  was  bom  in  his  heart  a 
very  earnest  desire,  even  at  an  early  age,  to  take  on  himself  the  holy 
vows  of  our  Holy  Father  St.  Francis.  His  regret  was  that  he  was  far 
too  young  for  the  step. 

When  his  parents  realized  the  holy  vocation  of  the  lad,  as  soon  as  he 
was  old  enough,  they  took  him  to  the  City  of  Palma,  capital  of  that 
district,  in  order  that  he  might  devote  himself  to  the  higher  studies. 
In  order  that  he  should  not  forget  the  teaching  and  the  wholesome  cus- 
toms he  had  been  taught  as  a  child,  they  commended  him  to  a  devout 
priest,  a  beneficiary  of  the  cathedral,  who,  when  he  saw  the  diligence 
of  the  boy  in  his  study  of  Philosophy,  which  he  had  begun  to  study  in 
the  convent  of  Our  Father  St.  Francis,  and  his  vocation  for  the  monastic 
Order,  he  taught  him  to  recite  the  Divine  Office,  making  him  say  the 
prayer  with  him  daily,  and  leaving  him  free  the  rest  of  the  time  for  his 
studies. 

Before  he  had  been  in  the  city  long,  his  desire  for  the  cowl  was 
greatly  increased  by  being  presented  to  our  very  Reverend  Father  Fr. 
Antonio  Perello,  Minister  Provincial  for  the  second  time  of  this  same 
Province,  and  to  whom  he  made  known  T^is  dp,sifeJEQr_ihe,habit.  The 
latter  delayed  for  a  while,  considering  that  he  was  quite  too  ybung,  but 
on  learning  that  he  had  the  required  age,  although  the  fact  that  he  had 
been  rather  sickly  had  prevented  his  growth,  he  gave  his  consent  and  he 
was  allowed  to  take  the  habit  in  tho^convent  of  Jesus^  outside  the  walls 
of  the  city,  on  the  14th  of  September  of  the  yeaPi73o,  when  he  was  at 
!  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  nine  months  and  twenty-one  days.  During 
his  first  year  as  a  Novice  he  progressed  in  the  exercise  of  the  virtues, 
applying  himself  to  becommg  proficient  in  all  that  belongs  to  our  Se- 
raphic Rule  and  in  all  her  precepts,  in  order  that  when  the  time  came  for 
him  to  make  his  profession,  he  would  have  a  perfect  knowledge  of  all 
the  many  things  he  would  be  required  to  vow  before  God.     In  order  to 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  3 

encourage  himself  for  this  task,  he  used  to  read  in  the  ascetic  and  pious 
books  of  the  great  things  which  God  and  Our  Holy  Father  St.  Francis 
have  promised  us,  if  we  hold  steadfast  to  the  things  we  promise  in  making 
the  profession. 

The  books  which  he  read  oftenest,  and  which  most  attracted  his 
attention,  were  the  chronicles  of  our  Seraphic  Order.  He  delighted 
himself  with  the  lives  of  those  holy  and  venerable  men,  as  set  forth  in 
the  chronicles,  reading  their  lives  with  such  attention  and  tenderness 
that  each  one  seemed  impressed  upon  his  memory,  so  that  he  used  to 
repeat  the  story  of  their  lives  and  deeds  as  if  he  had  but  just  read  them. 
All  of  us  who  used  to  hear  him  tell  these  stories  were  astonished  at  the 
beauty  of  them.  Whenever  he  heard  of  the  beatification  of  any  one  of 
these  Venerables,  his  heart  would  be  filled  with  joy  and  he  would  repeat 
the  story  of  his  life  with  as  much  accuracy  a.s  if  he  had  but  just  read  the 
chronicle. 

Out  of  this  devout  exercise  of  the  reading  of  the  lives  of  the  Saints, 
there  was  bom  in  the  heart  of  the  young  novice  the  most  earnest  desire 
to  imitate  them  in  as  far  as  it  woiild  be  possible.  This  reading  had  the 
same  effect  upon  him  that  it  had  had  on  St.  Ignatius  of  Loyola,  and  the 
principal  thing  which  came  out  of  the  reading  was  the  vehement  desire 
to  imitate  these  holy  and  venerable  men  who  had  been  employed  in  the 
conversion  of  souls,  principally  those  of  pagan  and  barbarous  peoples. 
His  desire  went  so  far  as  to  make  him  long  to  give  his  life  and  to  shed  his 
blood,  as  indeed  many  of  them  had  done.  This  I  heard  from  his  own 
lips,  for  when  the  Venerable  Father  was  telling  me  of  his  call  to  leave 
his  native  land  and  come  to  the  Indies,  he  said,  with  great  tenderness 
of  heart  and  with  tears  in  his  eyes:  "My  principal  motive  has  been  to 
revive  in  my  heart  those  great  desires  which  I  had  as  a  novice  when 
reading  the  lives  of  the  Saints,  desires  which  were  somewhat  deadened 
by  the  distractions  of  my  studies.  But  let  us  give  many  thanks  to  God 
because  my  wishes  are  beginning  to  be  fulfilled,  and  let  us  ask  that  it 
be  for  His  greater  glory  and  for  the  conversion  of  souls." 

When  the  year  of  probation  had  been  finished  he  made  his  profession 
in  the  convent  of  Jesus  on  the  15th  of  September  of  1731,  taking  the 
name  of  ''Junipero"  because  of  the  devotion  he  had  for  that  saintly 
companion  of  Our  Holy  Father  St.  Francis,*  whose  holy  phrases  and 
graces  he  delighted  in,  and  which  he  used  to  repeat  with  devotion  and 
tenderness.     So  very  great  was  the  joy  and  the  happiness  which  his 


4  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

profession  caused  him  that  in  all  his  life  he  never  forgot  it;  but  rather 
he  renewed  his  vows  and  profession  every  year  not  only  on  the  day  of 
Our  Holy  Father  St.  Francis,  but  also  whenever  he  assisted  in  the  re- 
ceiving of  any  novice.  And,  also,  whenever  he  remembered  these  great 
joys  and  was  led  to  speak  of  them,  he  would  break  out  with  the  expres- 
sion: ^'Venerunt  mihi  omnia  bona  pariter  cum  illa^':  All  good  things 
came  to  me  with  the  coming  of  this.     He  used  to  say:   ''When  I  was  a 

I  novice  I  was  always  sickly  and  very  small  of  body,  so  small  I  coiild  not 
reach  the  choir  rack,  nor  could  I  help  my  companions  in  the  little  labors 
of  our  service,  and  for  that  reason  the  Master  of  Novices  employed  me 
to  serve  at  all  the  saying  of  Masses;  but  after  making  the  vows  I  began 
to  grow  in  strength  and  health  and  succeeded  in  reaching  a  mediimi 
stature.  All  this  I  attribute  to  my  profession,  for  which  I  ever  give 
thanks  to  God." 

As  soon  as  our  Fr.  Junipero  had  made  his  profession,  he  was  removed 
to  the  principal  convent  of  the  city  in  order  to  take  a  course  in  philosophy 
and  theology.  In  such  a  way  did  he  progress  that  before  he  had  been 
ordained  priest,  or  even  had  had  time  for  his  ordination,  the  Province 
named  him  Lector  of  philosophy  for  the  same  convent,  where  he  lec- 

•  tured  for  three  years  with  great  applause,  having  at  one  time  as  many  as 
sixty  pupils,  of  religious'*  and  seculars,  and  although  not  all  of  them 
followed  out  the  course,  the  most  of  them  continued  for  the  three  years, 
and  many  of  the  seculars  already  graduated  under  said  faculty  finished 
by  obtaining  from  the  Lullian  University  the  degree  of  Doctor.  Before 
finishing  his  year  of  philosophy,  the  Rev.  Fr.  Junipero  obtained  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Sacred  Theology  from  the  same  University.  Here  he 
continued  to  occupy  the  chair  of  the  Subtle  Master  until  his  departure 
from  the  Province,  and  in  it  he  did  his  work  with  great  fame  as  a  man  of 
profound  learning  to  the  satisfaction  both  of  his  Province  as  well  as  of 
the  University.  While  in  the  faculty  he  saw  many  of  his  disciples 
graduated  as  doctors. 

The  constant  occupations  of  a  literary  professorship  did  not  hinder 
him  from  being  the  instrtiment  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  he  was  much 
called  upon  for  panegyrical  sermons  upon  principal  themes  and  at  the 
great  feasts.  These  duties  he  always  fulfilled  in  such  a  way  that  he 
received  the  applause  of  all,  even  the  most  learned  who  heard  him.  The 
last  panegyric  he  preached  was  one  requested  by  the  University  at  the 
solemn  feast  of  the  25th  of  January,  in  honor  of  its  patron  and  compa- 
triot, the  illustrious  doctor,  the  Blessed  Raymond  Lull.    The  University 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  5 

attended  the  function  in  full  regalia  as  did  also  the  most  learned  men 
of  the  city.  As  his  Reverence  thought  it  would  be  his  last  public  speech 
(as  indeed  it  was  in  his  own  country),  it  seems  that  he  spared  nothing 
of  his  ability  in  his  endeavor  to  bring  credit  to  his  Province,  and  of 
course  all  were  astonished.  When  the  sermon  was  ended,  I  happened 
to  hear  one  of  the  former  professors  of  the  city,  a  man  of  much  fame 
both  as  a  teacher  and  as  a  pulpit  orator,  and  not  at  all  partial  to  the 
young  preacher,  use  this  expression:  "This  sermon  is  worthy  of  being 
printed  in  letters  of  gold.''  But  the  orator  was  far  from  desirous  of  re- 
ceiving such  honorable  mention.  He  only  thought  how  he  might  go 
out  and  employ  his  talents  in  the  conversion  of  the  heathen.  He  had 
been  for  a  long  time  waiting  that  he  might  have  his  license  and  which 
at  that  time  he  thought  might  very  soon  be  granted,  as  we  shall  see 
later. 

No  less  was  the  credit  he  received  for  his  sermons  on  morals.  He 
was  sought  for  by  the  principal  villages  and  asked  to  come  to  preach 
during  Lent  and  every  year  he  was  busy  in  this  way,  leaving  a  substitute 
to  occupy  his  chair.  He  used  to  go  out  at  Lent  and  preach  to  sinners 
with  such  fervent  zeal,  with  such  great  skill  and  attractiveness,  using 
.that  sonorous  voice  with  which  God  had  endowed  him  with  such  effec- 
tiveness, that  sinners  were  awakened  from  the  heavy  slimiber  of  sin  and 
converted  to  God  in  spite  of  their  mortal  enemy. 

This  was  abundantly  proved  by  an  incident  which  happened  in  the 
town  of  Selva.  He  was  preaching  during  Lent  in  this  town  in  the  year 
1747,  and  one  day,  while  in  the  middle  of  one  of  his  most  fervent  ser- 
mons, a  woman  in  the  audience  stood  up.  She  was  obsessed  (as  the 
rector  or  curate  of  the  place  afterwards  found  out)  and  so,  confronting 
the  earnest  Father  with  her  face  full  of  fury,  in  a  very  loud  voice  she 
called  out  so  that  all  could  hear:  "  Yell  away,  yell  away,  but  you  will  not 
live  to  see  the  end  of  Lent."  The  preacher  was  so  far  from  relaxing  in  his 
zeal  or  in  giving  credit  to  the  words  of  the  demon,  or  of  the  demoniac 
woman,  that  he  seemed  confident  that  the  contrary  would  happen. 
For  taking  occasion  to  write  to  me  in  those  days  he  added  this  clause 
to  his  letter:  "Thanks  to  God,  I  am  in  good  health  and  even  so  I  expect 
to  finish  the  Lenten  season,  because  the  Father  of  Lies  has  published  it 
abroad  that  I  shall  not  live  through  these  days,  and  as  he  does  not 
know  how  to  tell  the  truth,  I  expect  to  come  through  all  right  and  in 
good  health."  And  so  it  happened.  When  he  returned  to  the  convent 
I  asked  him  what  he  meant  and  he  told  me  this  story. 


FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  II 

He  is  Called  of  God  to  be  a  Teacher  to  the  Pagans.     He  Asks  for  a  Patent 

to  the  Indies  and  Obtains  It.     He  Embarks  for  Cadiz 

and  what  Happened  to  Him  on  the  Way. 

AT  this  time  in  which  the  Reverend  Father  Lector  Fr.  Jiinipero  was 
enjoying  the  highest  esteem  and  applause,  both  from  friars  and 
others,  and  when  it  might  be  expected  that  the  corresponding  honors 
woidd  come  to  him  as  a  matter  of  merit,  the  voice  of  God  came  to  him, 
calHng  him  to  be  a  teacher  of  the  pagans,  touching  his  heart  and  leading 
him  to  leave  his  native  land,  his  parents,  and  his  holy  Province,  in  order 
to  employ  his  talents  in  the  conversion  of  the  pagans  who,  for  lack  of 
some  one  to  show  them  the  way  to  heaven,  were  perishing.  He  was  not 
unmindful  of  this  secret  voice  of  the  Lord  which  lighted  in  his  heart  the 
fire  of  love  for  his  fellow  men  and  gave  birth  in  him  to  the  most  vivid 
desire  to  shed  his  blood,  if  necessary,  in  order  to  secure  the  salvation  of 
the  miserable  gentiles,  and  reviving  in  his  heart  those  desires  which  he 
had  felt  when  a  novice,  which  had  been  deadened  somewhat  by  the  dis- 
traction of  his  studies.  As  soon  as  he  felt  anew  the  call  he  took  the 
matter  to  God  in  prayer,  using  for  intercessors  his  Immaculate  Mother, 
and  San  Francisco  Solano,  Apostle  of  the  Indies,  asking  them  if  it  were 
God's  will,  that  He  would  touch  the  heart  of  some  one  who  might  share 
with  him  the  task  and  accompany  him  upon  so  long  a  voyage. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  his  Reverence  kept  this  call  a  secret  in  his 
heart,  God  willed  it  that  the  R.  F.  Lector  Fr.  Rafael  Verger,  at  that  time 
a  professor  of  philosophy  and  at  present  Bishop  of  Nuevo  Leon,  under- 
stood that  a  friar  from  the  Province  was  anxious  to  go  out  to  the  Indies 
for  the  conversion  of  the  pagans.  He  communicated  the  fact  to  me  al- 
most immediately  because  of  the  intimacy  between  us,  although  he  did 
not  say  that  he  knew  it  for  certain,  but  he  inferred  it  from  a  rather  vague 
remark  which  he  had  heard,  and  no  names  were  mentioned;  but,  from 
the  time  that  he  had  heard  of  the  proposition,  there  had  come  into  his 
heart  the  most  ardent  desire  to  do  the  same  thing,  and  if  he  had  not  been 
tied  down  by  his  chair  in  the  college  he  would  offer  to  go.     On  several 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  7 

occasions  both  of  us  spoke  of  the  matter  and  from  that  I  became  filled 
with  the  same  strong  desire. 

We  both  made  attempts  to  find  out  if  it  were  true,  as  we  had  heard, 
and  who  the  religious  was,  but  we  were  not  able  to  trace  the  matter,  and 
while  this  was  a  good  reason  to  think  the  rtimor  incorrect  we  both 
continued  to  cherish  the  same  desire  of  going  out  to  the  Indies. 

As  I  was  more  untrammeled  than  he  and  there  would  have  been 
little  difficulty  on  the  part  of  the  Province  to  my  going  out,  I  had  almost 
resolved  to  present  my  application  for  license  to  go.  I  did  not  wish  to 
take  this  step  without  having  first  consulted  with  my  beloved  teacher 
and  Lector,  Fr.  Junipero  Serra.  One  day  when  he  happened  to  come 
to  my  cell  and  we  were  alone  I  improved  the  opportunity  of  communicat- 
ing to  him  what  I  felt  in  my  heart  and  asked  him  to  give  me  his  opinion. 
When  he  heard  what  I  proposed,  tears  sprang  to  his  eyes,  not  of  sorrow, 
as  I  at  first  supposed,  but  of  joy,  and  he  said  to  me:  **  I  am  the  one  who 
is  anxious  to  make  this  long  journey,  and  my  grief  has  been  that  there 
was  no  one  to  go  with  me  as  a  companion  upon  so  long  a  voyage,  though, 
for  that  reason,  I  had  not  given  up  my  purpose.  I  have  just  made  two 
Novenas  in  honor  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  Mary  Most  Holy 
and  San  Francisco  Solano,  asking  them  to  touch  the  heart  of  some  one 
who  might  go  with  me  if  it  be  God's  will,  and  I  had  just  come  here  re- 
solved to  speak  to  you  and  invite  you  to  go  with  me  for  the  voyage,  be- 
cause from  the  moment  that  I  myself  reached  a  decision  I  have  felt  in 
my  heart  the  greatest  desire  to  speak  to  you  and  this  has  made  me  think 
that  you  might  be  persuaded  to  go.  But  in  view  of  the  fact  that  though 
I  had  kept  the  matter  a  secret  in  my  heart  the  news  came  to  you  in  the 
way  which  you  tell  me  it  did  without  your  knowing  who  it  was  who 
planned  to  go,  and  also  seeing  that  I  had  been  asking  God  to  touch  some 
one's  heart  and  that  I  had  felt  such  a  great  drawing  towards  you,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  but  that  this  is  the  will  of  God.  However,  let  us  com- 
mend the  matter  to  the  Lord  and  do  you  do  as  I  have  done  in  the  matter 
of  the  Novenas  and  let  us  both  keep  our  secret." 

So  we  did  and  when  we  had  finished  the  Novenas  we  resolved  to 
follow  the  call  and  to  make  the  necessary  applications  for  it. 

I  should  have  been  ungrateful  if  I  had  concealed  what  I  have  just 
stated,  because  I  confess  that  it  was  due  to  the  prayers  of  my  Reverend 
Father  Junipero  that  I  find  myself  among  the  Missionaries  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Faith,  a  happiness  so  great  that  in  the  opinion  of  the 


8  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Venerable  Mother  Agreda  it  is  more  to  be  desired  than  that  of  the 
Blessed,  as  said  lady,  the  servant  of  God,  wrote  to  the  Missionaries  of 
my  Seraphic  Order,  employed  in  the  conversion  of  the  heathen  of  the 
Custody  of  New  Mexico,  a  copy  of  which  letter  I  will  put  at  the  end  of 
this  volume  if  I  have  room,  for  it  is  quite  efficient  in  stirring  up  the  minds 
of  all  who  may  go  out  to  work  in  the  Vineyard  of  the  Lord  and  does  con- 
firm and  approve  of  the  rules  which  we  follow  in  our  Missions.  And  it 
is  also  due  to  his  example  that  all  the  other  friars  who  have  gone  out  from 
the  Province  to  the  Colleges  have  entered  into  this  great  joy;  and  the 
Province  also  owes  it  to  him  that  it  should  have  the  example  of  its 
distinguished  son,  a  man  of  fervent  faith,  who,  after  having  converted 
innimierable  pagans  to  our  Holy  Faith,  shed  his  blood  and  with  joy 
gave  up  his  life  in  order  that  he  might  have  a  part  in  the  conversion  of 
still  others.  This  martyrdom"  brought  glory  and  honor  to  his  Holy 
Mother  Province  as  did  also  the  work  of  another  of  her  sons^  who  was 
made  Bishop  of  Nuevo  Leon,  bringing  fame  not  only  to  his  Province  but 
to  the  whole  Seraphic  Religion;  and  it  may  be  boasted  that  if  our 
Province  was  deprived  of  a  "Juniper"  (Junipero)  through  his  being 
transplanted  to  America,  this  same  son  of  hers,  through  the  fertility  of 
his  faith,  has  engendered  and  given  to  the  Holy  Church  a  whole  grove  of 
Junipers,  all  filled  with  apostolic  zeal  (as  we  shall  see  later)  which  re- 
dounds to  the  honor  of  the  Province  and  of  the  Apostolic  College  of 
San  Fernando,  a  garden  to  which  his  holy  calling  transplanted  him,  and 
made  him  a  source  of  emulation,  both  to  the  one  and  to  the  other. 

In  the  following  out  of  this  call,  as  soon  as  he  found  that  he  had  a 
companion,  he  wrote  to  the  Reverend  Commissioners  General  of  the 
Order  and  of  the  Indies,  asking  them  for  a  license  to  go  to  America  and 
to  take  part  in  the  conversion  of  the  pagans.  The  Commissioners 
replied  to  him,  saying  that  his  appointment  was  impossible  because 
there  were  only  two  commissions  in  Spain, —  one  of  the  College  of  the 
Holy  Cross  of  Quer^taro  and  one  of  San  Fernando  in  the  city  of  Mexico, 
—  and  these  two  commissions  had  completed  their  work  in  Andalusia  and 
were  on  the  eve  of  embarking.  However,  he  said  he  would  bear  our 
request  in  mind  for  the  very  first  occasion,  adding  that  it  might  be  an 
obstacle  in  our  way  that  we  did  not  belong  to  the  peninsula  of  Spain. 

Not  on  this  account  did  the  fervent  Father  Junipero  desist  from  his 
intention,  nor  did  he  grow  lukewarm  in  regard  to  the  divine  call,  but 
rather,  he  wrote  again  to  the  Commissioners  begging  them  that  if  the 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  9 

fact  that  he  was  an  islander  presented  a  real  difficulty,  that  he  be  per- 
mitted to  enter  into  some  one  of  the  Colleges  of  the  peninsula  of  Spain 
in  order  to  overcome  this  obstacle.  This  was  the  situation  when  the 
Lenten  Season  of  the  year  1749  drew  near  in  which  the  Rev.  Father 
Junipero  had  been  directed  to  preach  in  the  parish  of  his  native  village 
of  Petra.  Carefully  recommending  the  matter  of  our  call  to  me  and 
asking  that  it  still  be  kept  a  secret,  he  departed  for  his  destination. 

Our  Rev.  Father  Commissioner  General  of  the  Indies,  Fr.  Matias 
Velasco,  did  not  forget  our  request,  nor  did  he  neglect  any  opportunity  to 
sustain  us  in  our  desires.  As  soon  as  he  received  the  first  letter  he  sent 
it  to  the  Commissioners  of  the  two  Colleges  who  were  in  Andalusia, 
charging  them  that  if  any  of  those  who  were  appointed  should  fail  that 
we  should  be  kept  in  mind.  The  letter  arrived  very  opportunely,  for 
out  of  the  thirty-three  friars  who  had  enlisted  for  the  Missions  of  San 
Fernando,  five  had  repented  on  account  of  their  fear  of  the  sea  which 
they  had  never  seen.  For  this  reason  room  was  made  for  us.  As  soon 
as  the  R.  F.  Fr.  Pedro  Perez  de  Mezquia,  of  the  Province  of  Cantabria 
and  Head  of  the  Delegation  for  Collecting  Volunteer  Missionaries, 
learned  this,  he  sent  us  a  letter  by  ordinary  post  containing  the  two 
patents.  These  did  not  reach  us  and  if  we  may  believe  what  a  certain 
religious  of  the  above  mentioned  convent  of  Palma  said  to  me,  the 
patents  were  lost  between  the  doorway  and  my  cell. 

When  the  Fr.  Commissary  of  the  Delegation  saw  that  the  two 
patents  had  not  caused  us  to  come,  he  sent  two  others  by  special  envoy 
in  order  that  they  might  not  be  lost.  I  received  them  on  the  30th  of 
March,  just  as  I  was  going  to  the  Blessing  of  the  Palms,  and  as  soon  as 
we  came  out  of  the  refectory  (with  the  blessing  and  license  of  our  Very 
Reverend  Provincial)  I  started  for  the  village  of  Petra  and  that  same 
night  delivered  the  patent  into  the  hands  of  the  Rev.  Father  Junipero. 
His  joy  and  happiness  was  greater  than  if  he  had  received  a  call  to  some 
bishopric.  Immediately  the  next  day  we  set  about  carrying  out  our 
plans  for  the  voyage  and  also  to  keep  it  a  secret;  and  as  only  a  few  days 
remained  of  the  Lenten  Season,  he  resolved  to  finish  his  preaching  while 
I  returned  to  the  city  in  order  to  secure  transportation.  I  did  not  find 
any  ship  going  to  Cadiz,  but  I  did  find  an  English  packet-boat  which 
directly  after  Easter  would  sail  from  Malaga.  I  arranged  the  passport 
with  the  Captain  and  sent  word  to  the  Rev.  Father  Junipero,  who,  after 
having  preached  his  last  sermon  in  the  same  parish  church  in  which  he 


lo  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

had  been  baptized,  and  bidden  good-bye  to  all  his  fellow-countrymen 
(although  without  saying  anything  about  his  voyage)  he  left  on  the 
third  day  of  Easter  Week  for  the  convent  of  the  city,  but  not  till  after 
he  had  visited  his  old  parents  and  had  said  good-bye  to  them,  receiving 
their  blessing  for  the  work  that  he  was  about  to  do,  although  he  did  not 
tell  them  what  his  determination  was,  as  he  wished  to  keep  that  secret. 

On  the  13th  of  April,  which  in  that  year  was  the  Dominica  in  Albis, — 
Sunday  after  Easter, —  he  bade  farewell  to  the  Community  of  the  princi- 
pal convent,  going  out  into  the  refectory  to  confess  his  faults,  to  ask 
pardon  of  all  the  friars,  and  to  receive  the  blessing  of  the  prelate,  who 
was  the  same  who  had  been  his  teacher  in  philosophy  while  a  secular 
priest.  When  he  saw  this  extraordinary  call  of  his  disciple  and  the  great 
example  which  he  was  giving  not  only  to  the  convent  but  to  the  whole 
Order,  he  was  so  touched  that  he  could  hardly  speak  and  his  farewell  was 
limited  to  tears  rather  than  to  words.  Before  this  scene  the  whole 
austere  Community  could  not  help  being  affected  with  great  emotion, 
especially  when  they  saw  the  Rev.  Father  Junipero  go  from  one  to 
another  and  kiss  the  feet  of  all  the  friars  down  to  the  most  humble 
novice.  When  we  had  said  good-bye  to  the  Community  we  went  down 
to  the  dock  and  embarked  upon  the  packet-boat. 

The  captain  of  this  vessel  was  an  obstinate  heretic  and  so  quarrel- 
some that  during  the  two  weeks  which  the  voyage  lasted  till  we  reached 
Malaga  he  did  not  leave  us  in  peace,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  we 
could  recite  the  Divine  Office  because  he  continually  wished  to  argue  and 
dispute  with  us  about  dogmas.  Although  he  did  not  know  any  other 
language  than  English  and  a  little  Portuguese  (in  which  he  could  barely 
make  himself  understood),  he  presented  in  the  latter  his  arguments  and 
having  in  his  hand  a  Bible  which  was  translated  into  his  native  tongue, 
he  used  to  read  from  it  some  text  of  the  scripture  which  he  interpreted 
as  he  pleased.  But  as  our  Fr.  Junipero  was  so  well  instructed  and 
grounded  in  dogmatics  and  holy  Scripture,  it  was  as  easy  for  him  to  per- 
ceive the  error  as  it  was  to  cite  the  text  which  he  had  misinterpreted  to 
sustain  his  opinion,  and  then  he  would  quote  another  text  which  com- 
pletely upset  the  man's  argtmients.  The  captain  would  read  in  his 
musty  Bible  and  not  finding  any  way  of  escape  would  reply  that  the 
leaf  must  be  torn  out  and  for  that  reason  he  could  not  find  the  verse. 
When  another  text  was  cited  he  would  make  the  same  answer.  From 
all  this,  it  could  be  well  seen  that  he  was  left  in  confusion  an,d  ashamed, 
but  he  would  never  give  up,  but  remained  obstinate. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  ii 

After  this  his  irritation  grew  and  reached  such  a  pitch,  especially 
against  my  Revered  Fr.  Junipero, —  because  it  was  he  who  had  put  him 
to  rout, —  that  on  several  occasions  he  threatened  to  throw  us  into  the 
sea  and  to  sail  away  for  London.  I  do  not  doubt  that  he  would  have 
done  so  had  he  not  feared  the  result,  for  on  one  of  these  occasions  I  told 
him  that  I  was  not  afraid,  as  we  had  come  under  the  protection  of  the 
passport  which  he  had  signed,  and  that  if  he  did  not  put  us  on  shore  at 
Malaga,  our  King  woiild  demand  indemnity  from  the  King  of  England 
and  his  head  would  pay  for  it.  Notwithstanding  this  threat,  one  night 
he  became  so  furious  in  a  dispute  which  he  had  over  dogmas  with  our 
Father  Junipero  that  he  came  to  the  point  of  putting  a  dagger  to  his 
throat  with  every  intention,  as  it  appeared,  of  taking  his  life,  and  if  he 
did  not  do  it,  it  was  because  God  had  reserved  for  His  servant  a  more  pro- 
longed martyrdom,  and  that  he  should  have  a  part  in  the  conversion  of 
many  souls,  as  we  shall  see  later. 

The  captain  threw  himself  upon  his  bed  in  order  to  relieve  himself 
of  the  wrath  which  consumed  him ;  and  lest  he  should  later  carry  out  his 
intentions  the  Venerable  Father  agreed  to  awaken  me,  saying  (and  his 
voice  seemed  full  of  joy)  that  this  was  no  time  to  sleep,  for  it  might  be 
that  even  before  reaching  Malaga  we  were  to  secure  the  gold  and  the  silver 
in  the  search  of  which  we  were  going  to  the  Indies.  He  then  told  me 
what  had  happened  and  comforted  himself  by  saying:  *'I  can  comfort 
myself  by  the  thought  that  I  never  provoked  him  to  conversation  or  to 
dispute,  as  it  seemed  to  me  that  was  time  lost,  but  that  in  conscience  it 
was  my  duty  to  make  a  reply  for  the  credit  of  our  Catholic  Religion." 
We  spent  the  night  watching,  taking  such  precautions  as  we  could  for 
what  might  happen,  he  encouraging  my  lukewarmness  and  cowardice 
by  his  own  ardent  zeal.  But  that  perverse  heretic  restrained  his  anger 
and  during  the  rest  of  the  voyage  was  not  so  troublesome  as  before. 

After  two  weeks  of  sea  voyage  we  arrived  at  Malaga  on  the  day  on  ^ 
which  the  Holy  Church  celebrates  the  Patronage  of  St.  Joseph.  We 
went  immediately  to  the  Convent  of  our  Seraphic  Father,  St.  Fran- 
cis in  the  Province  of  Granada,  and  here  our  venerable  Father  Junipero 
again  set  a  good  example.  Before  he  had  hardly  been  half  an  hour  in 
the  convent,  he  joined  the  community  at  compline  and  meditation  and 
continued  so  with  them  during  the  five  days  that  we  were  there.  When 
the  time  had  passed  we  went  on  in  a  coast-sail-boat  (xebec)  for  Cadiz, 
reaching  that  port  on  the  7th  of  May. 


12  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


• 


CHAPTER  III 

The  Delay  in  Cadiz.     We  embark  for  Vera  Cruz.     What  happened  on  the 
way  to  the  V.  Father  Junipero. 

THERE  had  gathered  at  Cadiz  the  friars  who  had  been  enlisted  for 
the  College  of  San  Fernando,  Mexico,  awaiting  an  opportunity  to 
embark.  As  soon  as  we  arrived  we  were  directed  to  the  convent  of  the 
Order  and  were  received  with  affectionate  welcome  both  by  the  Reverend 
Father  Commissioner  as  well  as  by  the  rest  of  the  religious  of  the  Order. 
His  Reverence  immediately  communicated  to  us  what  had  happened  to 
the  five  (as  has  been  indicated),  how  they  were  frightened  from  going, 
and  how  this  had  opened  the  way  for  our  coming,  and  he  added  that  he 
had  hoped  there  would  be  five  of  us,  as  he  would  have  sent  other  patents. 
To  this  the  V.  Father  Junipero  replied  that  there  was  no  lack  of  candi- 
dates and  that  if  there  were  time  to  send  for  them  they  would  come. 
The  Father  Commissioner  then  told  him  that  there  was  sufficient  time, 
because  it  was  necessary  to  send  out  the  recruits  in  two  groups,  and  that 
they  might  come  in  the  second.  The  patents  were  therefore  sent  to  the 
Province  and  under  them  came  out  later  the  Reverend  Fathers  Fr.  Juan 
Crespi,  Fr.  Rafael  Verger  and  Fr.  Guillermo  Vicens,  all  moved  by  the 
example  of  our  Reverend  Fr.  Junipero. 

On  the  28th  of  August  of  the  year  1749  the  first  group  of  enlisted 
friars  embarked.  It  was  composed  of  the  President  (member  of  the 
College  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  Province  of  Valencia)  and  twenty  other 
friars,  among  whom  was  my  revered  father.  In  the  long  voyage  of 
ninety-nine  days  which  we  spent  in  reaching  Vera  Cruz  there  were  not 
lacking  vexations  and  alarms,  because  in  the  small  space  of  the  vessel 
there  had  to  be  accommodated  not  only  our  company  but  also  that  of 
the  Reverend  Dominican  Fathers,  besides  the  other  passengers,  and  also 
because,  fifteen  days  before  reaching  Puerto  Rico,  there  was  a  scarcity  of 
water  and  the  ration  had  to  be  diminished  (the  amount  given  for  the 
twenty-four  hours  was  but  little  more  than  a  quart,  nor  were  we  allowed 
to  make  chocolate).  But  Fr.  Junipero  endured  these  privations  with 
such  patience  that  not  a  single  complaint  was  heard  from  him,  nor  was 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  13 

there  to  be  noted  in  him  any  sign  of  sadness.  This  caused  no  small  com- 
ment, and  some  of  the  companions  used  to  ask  him  if  he  were  not  thirsty. 
He  would  always  answer,  "  It  gives  me  no  concern,"  and  if  any  one  would 
complain  that  he  could  not  stand  it,  he  was  accustomed  to  answer,  with 
quite  as  much  wit  as  wisdom:  "I  have  found  a  good  remedy  against 
feeling  thirsty;  and  that  is,  to  eat  little,  to  talk  less  and  so  save  my' 
saliva." 

During  all  the  time  of  the  voyage  he  never  took  from  his  breast  the 
Crucifix,  not  even  to  sleep.  Every  day,  except  when  the  storm  pre- 
vented, he  celebrated  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  At  night  he  was 
busy  hearing  the  confessions  of  those  who  sought  him  out  for  that  pur- 
pose. He  was  respected  by  all  as  a  perfect  and  holy  man,  because  of 
the  very  good  example  he  gave  of  humilty  and  patience. 

We  stopped  to  take  water  at  the  Island  of  Puerto  Rico  in  the  middle 
of  October,  going  ashore  there  on  a  Saturday  afternoon.  We  went  to 
the  shelter  of  the  Hermitage  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  situated 
beyond  the  walls  of  the  city.  Here  there  was  a  chapel  with  three  altars 
and  accommodations  for  the  whole  company.  It  was  already  dark 
when  the  Hermit,  or  Sacristan  who  took  charge  of  the  chapel,  asked  us 
if  we  would  like  to  join  in  the  Rosary,  at  which  quite  a  ntimber  of  people 
gathered  because  it  was  Saturday.  Not  all  the  friars  had  as  yet  come 
ashore  and  the  President  was  still  occupied  in  the  task  of  their  landing 
and  he  charged  our  Fr.  Junipero  that  he  take  those  of  us  who  were  ashore 
to  that  place,  saying  that  from  the  pulpit  he  might  repeat  the  Rosary 
of  the  Joys  of  our  Lady  and  say  a  few  words  of  consolation  to  the  people. 
We  attended  the  service  and  chanted  the  Tola  Pulchra.  When  this  was 
finished  my  V.  Father  spoke  a  few  words,  which  were  as  follows:  "To- 
morrow, for  the  consolation  of  all  the  dwellers  of  this  city,  a  mission  fy 
will  begin  and  it  will  last  as  long  as  our  vessel  may  be  detained  in  port. 
I  invite  you  all  for  to-morrow  night,  in  the  cathedral,  where  we  will 
begin." 

Such  an  invitation  and  announcement  could  not  but  cause  great 
surprise  to  all  and  especially  to  the  R.  F.  President,  who  had  not  thought 
of  such  a  thing,  and  he  asked  our  good  Father  why  he  had  done  it.  The 
latter  replied  that  so  he  had  understood  his  Reverence,  "because,"  he 
said,  "what  words  of  greater  consolation  could  I  give  to  these  Islanders 
than  to  announce  to  them  that  they  were  to  have  a  Mission  during  the 
time  of  our  stay  here?"    At  this  the  President  rejoiced,  as  did  we  all,  and 


14  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

especially  when  we  learned  that  the  greater  part  of  those  people  had 
not  been  to  confession  since  the  time  that  another  group  of  Missionaries 
of  San  Fernando  had  visited  them,  nine  years  previously. 

The  next  day  at  nightfall  we  scattered  ourselves  over  all  the  city  in 
order  to  take  it  by  storm  with  homilies  and  pious  ejaculations,  and  then 
marched  into  the  Cathedral.  The  Reverend  Father  who  presided  over 
the  Mission  preached  the  first  sermon  to  a  large  audience,  and  on  the 
second  night  the  Rev.  F.  Junipero  preached.  Our  vessel  waited  there 
two  weeks,  one  of  these  being  at  the  request  of  the  City,  in  order  that 
the  Mission  might  go  on.  During  this  time  we  were  all  employed  in 
hearing  confessions,  often  for  the  greater  part  of  the  night.  All  the 
people  of  the  town  had  a  part  in  the  jubilee,  for  it  was  said  that  not  one 
was  left  without  having  confessed,  it  all  being  attributed  to  the  fervent 
zeal  of  our  Venerable  Father. 

When  the  Mission  was  concluded,  we  sailed  for  Vera  Cruz  on  the  2d 
of  November,  and  we  had  almost  arrived  at  that  port  when  a  storm  from 
the  north  struck  us.  It  was  so  furious  that  we  were  obliged  to  put  to 
sea  again  in  the  direction  of  Campeche,  where  another  storm  caught  us 
on  the  3d  and  4th  of  December,  which  was  so  terrible  that  on  the 
second  night  we  gave  ourselves  up  for  lost  and  thought  there  was  noth- 
ing else  to  do  but  to  prepare  for  death.  But  Father  Junipero  main- 
tained during  all  the  storm  the  same  unalterable  peace  and  quietness  of 
mind  as  if  it  were  the  most  serene  of  days,  so  that  many  who  saw  him 
were  tempted  to  ask  him  if  he  were  not  afraid.  He  replied  that  he  did 
indeed  fear,  but  whenever  he  remembered  what  had  brought  him  to  the 
Indies,  he  could  put  it  aside.  His  calmness  suffered  no  change  when, 
that  same  night,  we  were  told  that  the  crew  had  mutinied  against  the 
captain  and  pilot,  demanding  that  the  vessel  be  beached  in  order  that 
some  might  save  themselves,  as  the  vessel  could  not  much  longer  stand 
the  strain  and  because  the  pumps  were  not  sufficient  to  keep  out  the 
great  influx  of  water.  Out  of  these  dangers  God  graciously  delivered 
us  through  the  intercession  of  the  glorious  Virgin  and  Martyr,  Santa 
Barbara,  whose  image  is  annually  venerated  on  that  day  in  the  Churches. 
For  all  of  us  friars  who  composed  the  two  companies,  having  cast  lots 
among  the  various  patron  Saints  of  our  greatest  devotion,  one  of  them 
being  that  of  our  company,  —  the  holy  Santa  Barbara  already  men- 
tioned, —  the  lot  fell  on  her  as  our  special  Patron.     When  we  had  all 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  15 

called  upon  her  of  one  accord  saying:  "Long  live  Santa  Bdrbara,"  the 
storm  ceased  immediately  and  the  opposing  wind  became  so  mild  that 
within  two  days,  on  the  6th  of  December,  we  anchored  in  Vera  Cruz. 
The  next  day,  it  being  the  eve  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  our 
Lady,  we  all  went  ashore  without  further  incident. 


i6  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  IV  I 

1 
Journey  on  Foot  which  the  Venerable  Father  Made  from  Vera  Cruz  to 

Mexico  City, 

AS  soon  as  the  two  bands,  ours  and  that  of  the  Dominican  Fathers,  \ 
had  safely  landed,  a  solemn  celebration  was  held  by  them  both  in 
honor  of  our  glorious  Protectress,  Santa  Bdrbara,  in  proof  of  our  grati- 
tude and  in  order  to  fulfil  the  vows  which  we  had  made  in  the  moment 
of  great  affliction.  At  this  service  our  Venerable  Fr.  Junipero  preached, 
giving  a  complete  narrative  of  even  the  smallest  circumstances  and  the 
little  incidents  which  had  happened  during  the  long  voyage  of  ninety- 
nine  days.  This  he  did  with  such  perfection  and  eloquence  that  he 
produced  wonderment  in  them  all,  and  on  top  of  his  reputation  as  most 
exemplary,  which  he  already  had,  he  acquired  the  other  title  of  being 
very  wise  and  very  humble,  for  up  to  this  time  scarcely  the  least  of  his 
great  talents  had  come  to  be  recognized. 

Having  in  mind  the  very  sickly  climate  of  Vera  Cruz  (which  I  experi- 
enced very  shortly  to  my  sorrow,  as  I  came  near  the  point  of  death),  an 
effort  was  made  to  have  us  leave  for  Mexico.     The  journey,  which  is  one 

k  of  a  hundred  leagues  was  at  the  expense  of  the  king,  who  furnished 
transportation  and  other  necessaries,  in  order  that,  in  view  of  the  long 
time  spent  in  the  sea  voyage  and  the  sudden  changes  in  that  climate, 
was  not  to  be  made  on  foot  but  on  horseback  and  with  a  certain 
degree  of  comfort.  However,  our  model  Junipero,  desiring  to  make 
the  journey  without  resting,  asked  of  the  Reverend  Father  President 

•  that  he  be  permitted  to  go  on  foot,  inasmuch  as  he  was  in  good  health  and 
had  the  necessary  strength  for  the  task.  The  latter,  recognizing  the  fer- 
vor of  his  spirit,  granted  permission  both  to  him  and  to  another  Mis- 
sionary from  the  Province  of  Andalusia  who  had  also  made  the  same 
request.    So  they  both  set  out  without  other  guide  or  provisions  than 

-  the  breviary  and  their  firm  confidence  in  Divine  Providence. 

But  having  thus  chosen  the  best  of  all  passports,  far  from  lacking 
an3rthing  in  the  way,  they  were  the  recipients  of  the  most  singular  aid 
of  the  Almighty.     One  day  when  they  had  traveled  longer  than 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  17 

they  had  expected  they  reached  the  banks  of  a  river  after  nightfall,  and 
they  knew  from  what  they  had  been  told  that  they  must  cross  this 
river  before  they  cotild  reach  the  town  where  they  would  find  shelter  for 
the  night.  On  seeing  that  the  river  was  high  and  that  it  threatened  no 
little  danger  to  any  one  who  might  try  to  pass  it  without  knowing  ex- 
actly where  the  ford  was,  they  were  much  perplexed.  Finding  them- 
selves in  this  situation  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  without  any  one  to 
show  them  the  ford,  our  two  travelers  hesitated  about  entering  the 
water  and  instead,  hoping  that  Heaven  would  send  them  some  help  in 
this  time  of  need,  they  began  to  recite  the  prayer  of  the  Benedicta  of 
Our  Lady.  When  they  had  finished  it,  it  seemed  as  though  they  could 
distinguish  upon  the  opposite  shore  some  form  which  was  moving.  In 
order  to  make  sure,  Fr.  Junipero  called  out  in  a  loud  voice,  using  these 
words:  "Hail,  Holy  Mary!  Is  there  any  Christian  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river?"  The  answer  came:  ''Yes.  What  do  you  want?"  The 
friars  replied  that  they  desired  to  cross  the  river  and  did  not  know  the 
ford.  The  voice  from  the  other  side  told  them  to  go  along  the  shore  up- 
stream until  he  told  them  to  stop.  This  they  did  and  walked  quite  a 
little  way,  and  then  the  guide,  whom  they  could  not  see,  told  them  that 
they  could  pass  at  this  point.  This  they  did  without  any  danger  and 
found  the  man  with  whom  they  had  been  speaking,  who  was  a  Spaniard, 
well  dressed,  and  very  attentive  to  them,  although  of  but  few  words. 
He  then  took  them  to  his  house,  quite  a  way  distant  from  the  river, 
gave  them  supper  and  provided  them  with  beds.  When,  the  next 
morning,  they  left  the  house  for  the  church  in  order  to  say  Mass,  and 
noticed  that  in  all  the  road  there  was  plenty  of  ice  on  accoimt  of  the  storm 
of  the  night  before,  they  better  understood  the  great  benefit  which  God 
had  granted  them  in  providing  them  with  shelter  through  the  agency  of 
their  benefactor,  for  without  him  they  must  surely  have  perished  under 
the  inclement  rigor  of  the  night. 

The  fact  that  they  had  found  this  man  at  that  place  at  such  an 
unlikely  hour  and  in  the  darkness  of  the  night  could  not  but  cause  the 
greatest  wonderment  to  both  Fathers,  but  having  asked  him  what  was 
the  reason  why  he  had  been  so  far  from  home  at  that  hour,  he  replied 
that  he  had  gone  out  on  a  matter  of  business  and  they  did  not  desire  to 
further  show  their  curiosity.  All  this  might  have  been  the  purest  coin- 
cidence, but  our  pilgrims  attributed  it  to  no  less  than  the  singular  pro- 
tection of  Most  Holy  Mary,  to  whom  in  gratitude  they  returned  himible 


i8  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

thanks,  and  having  also  thanked  their  benefactor  they  bade  him  good- 
bye and  went  on  their  way. 

After  having  gone  a  long  way  and  finding  themselves  greatly  fatigued 
by  the  hardness  of  the  way,  as  well  as  the  heat  of  the  sun,  they  met  a 
man  on  horseback  who,  after  saluting  them  and  asking  them  where  they 
expected  to  stop,  said  to  them:  ''Your  Reverences  must  be  tired  and 
thirsty;  take  this  pomegranate  and  it  will  refresh  you."  He  gave  to 
each  of  them  a  pomegranate  and  when  he  had  bade  them  good-bye,  he 
went  on  his  way.  The  pilgrims  ate  of  this  little  fruit  which  not  only 
refreshed  them  and  quenched  the  thirst  which  they  felt,  but  also  gave 
them  strength  to  continue  their  journey  without  any  signs  of  fatigue 
until  they  reached  the  hacienda  where  they  were  to  stop.  Having 
noticed  the  effect  of  the  fruit  they  began  to  talk  about  the  person  who 
had  given  it  to  them,  for,  from  his  aspect  and  mode  of  speech,  he  seemed 
to  them  to  be  the  same  who  the  night  before  had  showed  them  the  ford 
in  the  river  and  given  them  the  hospitaHty  of  his  house. 

Many  times  the  venerable  Father  Jimipero  referred  to  these  incidents 
in  his  exhortations  to  put  our  trust  in  the  Divine  Providence,  and  he  used 
to  say  that  that  benefactor  was  either  the  Patriarch  Saint  Joseph,  or 
some  other  devout  man,  whose  heart  the  Saint  had  touched  that  he 
should  do  for  them  these  works  of  charity. 

Another  similar  incident  happened  to  them  in  the  next  day's  journey. 
They  had  spent  the  night  at  an  inn  and  the  next  morning  after  one  of 
them  had  said  Mass,  they  bade  good-bye  to  the  owner,  who,  lest  they 
should  arrive  late  at  the  next  inn,  gave  them  a  loaf  of  bread.  They  set 
out  and  had  not  gone  far  when  they  met  a  poor  beggar  who  asked  them 
for  alms.  They  gave  him  the  only  thing  they  had,  which  was  the  loaf 
of  bread,  trusting  that  they  would  arrive  early  at  the  place  where  they 
were  to  stop,  and  in  case  they  did  not,  they  would  be  cared  for  by  Divine 
Providence.  This  devout  wish  they  saw  fulfilled,  for  when  they  had 
traveled  a  long  way  and,  on  account  of  great  fatigue,  were  feeling  the 
need  of  food,  they  sat  down  to  rest  awhile  by  the  side  of  the  road.  A 
man  on  horseback  passed  by  who,  when  he  saw  the  Fathers  there,  after 
saluting  them  and  asking  them  where  they  were  going  to  stop,  drew  out 
a  loaf  of  bread,  and,  breaking  it  in  two,  gave  the  half  of  it  to  each  one, 
remarking  that  there  was  still  quite  a  distance  to  go.  He  went  on  his 
way  and  our  pilgrims  having  received  his  alms  and  examined  the  bread 
did  not  dare  to  eat  it  because,  as  they  afterwards  told  me,  it  seemed  to 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  19^ 

be  made  simply  of  com,  badly  mixed  and  half  baked,  and  for  that  reason  / 
they  feared  it  would  do  them  harm;  but,  on  account  of  their  weariness 
and  the  need  of  eating  something  to  sustain  them  if  they  were  to  walk 
further,  they  felt  obliged  to  taste  it,  and  when  they  had  done  so,  they 
discovered  that  it  was  most  palatable  and  of  excellent  savor,  as  if  it  had 
been  kneaded  with  cheese.  They  ate  it  and  felt  invigorated  sufficiently 
to  continue  their  journey  and  to  reach  the  inn  at  nightfall. 

They  continued  afterwards  their  journey,  and,  on  account  of  the  / 
fatigue,  the  feet  of  the  venerable  Father  Junipero  became  much  swollen, 
so  that  he  could  hardly  reach  the  inn  that  day.  They  attributed  it  to 
the  bite  of  a  mosquito,  on  account  of  the  great  itching  sensation,  and 
there  they  felt  obliged  to  rest  a  day.  While  he  was  asleep  that  night, 
without  knowing  it,  the  Father  scratched  his  foot  too  much,  and  the 
next  morning  he  found  it  all  bloody.  From  this  there  resulted  a  sore 
which,  as  we  shall  afterwards  see,  remained  there  all  his  life.  Notwith- 
standing this  accident,  after  resting  a  day  they  went  on  their  journey, 
and  in  the  afternoon  of  the  last  day  of  December  of  the  year  1749,  '"' 
reached  the  Sanctuary  of  Our  Lady  of  Guadolupe.  There  they  passed 
the  night  and  when  they  had  said  Mass  the  next  day  in  gratitude  to  this 
wonderful  Lady,  they  went  on  to  the  College  of  San  Fernando  which  was 
scarcely  a  league  distant. 


20  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  V 

The  Venerable  Father  Arrives  at  the  College  of  San  Fernando,     What  He 

Did  There  up  to  the  Time  of  His  Departure  for  the 

Missions  to  the  Pagans. 

THE  Venerable  Father  Jtinipero  Serra  entered  as  a  new  pupil  into 
the  Apostolic  College  of  San  Fernando  of  Mexico  on  the  ist  of 
January  of  the  year  1750,  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  the  time 
when  the  Community  was  engaged  in  prayer.  He  immediately  entered 
the  church  in  order  to  receive  first  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  in  the  Eu- 
charist, and  having  remained  there  during  the  time  that  the  friars  were 
engaged  in  prayer  he  came  out  full  of  joy  and  said  to  his  companion, 
"Father,  we  can  well  consider  that  our  time  has  been  well  spent  in  com- 
ing so  far  and  suffering  so  much,  just  to  be  allowed  to  have  the  joy  of 
being  members  of  a  community  which  with  so  much  order  and  devotion 
pays  the  debt  of  the  Divine  Office."  He  immediately  entered  the 
College  and  received  the  blessing  of  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian,  who 
received  us  with  the  embrace  of  an  affectionate  father,  as  did  also  all 
the  friars.  One  of  them,  who  was  among  the  founders  of  the  Coljege  and 
much  venerated  by  all,  when  he  embraced  our  Father  Lector,  said, 
"Would  that  some  one  might  bring  us  a  whole  grove  of  junipers  (Juni- 
peros)  such  as  this  one."  But  the  most  humble  man  replied,  "It  was 
not  of  this  sort.  Reverend  Father,  that  our  Seraphic  Patriarch*  asked 
for,  but  of  others  quite  different." 

The  next  day  after  his  arrival  at  the  College,  he  asked  the  Father 
Guardian  to  assign  him  a  confessor  and  he  assigned  the  Father  who  was 
then  Master  of  the  Novices,  the  Venerable  Father  Fr.  Bernardo  Pumeda, 
Missionary  of  much  fame,  formerly  in  the  College  of  Sahagun,  Spain, 
and  who  is  there  at  present,  a  great  master  of  speculative  and  prac- 
tical mystics.  As  soon  as  he  knew  that  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian  had 
given  him  for  a  director  the  Master  of  Novices,  he  said:  "The  Prelate 
has'  been  wise  in  his  choice;  this  is  what  I  need,  to  renew  my  no- 
vitiate," and  with  great  joy  and  fervor  he  presented  himself  to 
the  Master  and   with  all  humility  informed  him   as  to   what  the 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  21 

Guardian  had  decided,  and  asked  that  for  the  love  of  God  he  be 
admitted  as  if  he  were  the  youngest  of  the  novices,  and  also  that 
he  might  be  allowed  to  live  in  one  of  the  cells  of  the  novitiate.  The 
prudent  director  replied  that  with  great  pleasure  he  would  receive  him 
as  his  Son  in  the  Faith  in  conformity  with  the  disposition  made  by  the 
Prelate;  but  that  his  Reverence  would  have  to  subject  himself  to  his 
instructions,  as  this  thing  which  he  asked  for,  namely,  to  live  among 
the  novices,  was  something  new  which  had  never  been  done  in  the  Col- 
leges, as  every  one  knew.  ''For  this  reason,"  he  went  on  to  say,  ''Your 
Reverence  will  live  in  the  cell  assigned  to  you  by  the  Guardian  just  like 
all  the  rest,  and  you  will  be  permitted  to  attend  only  the  special  ex- 
ercises of  the  novitiate." 

This  plan  was  carried  out  during  the  five  months  that  he  remained 
in  the  College  before  leaving  for  the  Missions,  showing  himself  very 
punctual  in  the  choir  and  in  all  the  services  of  the  community.  As  soon 
as  he  came  out  from  these,  he  used  to  go  every  day  to  the  novitiate,  there 
to  recite  with  the  Director  the  Little  Office,  the  Way  of  the  Cross,  the 
Rosary,  and  the  other  devout  exercises  which  the  novices  and  the 
choristers  perform,  and  in  these  he  was  edifying  to  them,  and  himself 
received  great  benefit  of  spirit. 

When  we  arrived,  the  College  was  very  much  in  need  of  laborers 
for  the  work  of  Missions,  both  among  Catholics  and  the  pagans. 
Five  Missions  had  been  founded  six  years  previously,  in  the 
Sierra  Gorda,  and  in  order  to  sustain  them,  it  had  been  obliged  to 
make  use  of  the  Missionaries  of  the  other  Colleges  who  were  accus- 
tomed to  serve  a  half  year  in  a  place  and  then  be  changed.  Some  days 
after  the  arrival  of  our  company  at  the  College,  while  the  Rev.  Fr. 
Guardian  was  enjoying  a  little  rest  in  the  garden  with  the  other  Fathers 
who  had  come  with  us  from  Spain  and  among  whom  was  the  Venerable 
Father  Junipero,  the  Prelate  expressed  his  joy  that  we  had  come,  as  he 
said  that  he  hoped  that  now  they  would  be  relieved  of  the  necessity  of 
going  about  begging  for  laborers  from  the  other  Colleges,  and  that  he 
hoped  that  some  of  those  present  would  feel  called  upon  to  go  and  work 
in  the  Missions  among  the  pagans  in  the  Sierra  Gorda. 

When  our  fervent  Father  Junipero  heard  this  (not  forgetting  the 

great  desires  for  such  activities  which  had  influenced  him  in  leaving  his 

native  land  and  his  Holy  Province) ,  he  said  to  the  Father  Guardian,  using 

the  words  of  the  prophet:    "Ecce  egOy  mitte  we."*    Following  his  ex- 

**'Here  am  I,  send  me." 


22  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

ample  several  others  did  the  same  thing  so  that  the  prelate  had  more  than 
enough  to  take  care  of  the  five  Missions  (granting  them  the  necessary 
dispensation  for  not  remaining  the  year  in  the  College  as  a  period  of 
probation,  as  the  new  Papal  Bulls  of  Pope  Innocent  required).  He 
named  eight  of  those  who  had  come  from  Spain,  and  among  them  the 
Rev.  Father  Junipero  and  myself  as  his  companion,  advising  us  at  the 
same  time  that  we  should  make  our  preparations  so  as  to  be  ready  to  go 
on  the  first  notice.  As  soon  as  our  servant  of  God  saw  that  he  h^d  been 
chosen  for  the  Mission  to  the  pagans  he  increased  his  spiritual  exercises 
in  order  to  be  the  better  prepared  to  obey  the  voice  of  the  Prelate. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  23 


CHAPTER  VI 

He  Leaves  for  the  Missions  of  the  Sierra  Gorda.     His  Work  There,  and 
What  He  Accomplished, 

THE  glorious  and  most  desirable  purpose  of  converting  the  pagans 
and  the  propagation  of  our  Holy  Catholic  Faith  had  moved  the  Ven- 
erable Father  Fr.  Antonio  Linaz  de  Jesiis  to  go  to  Spain  in  order  to  solicit 
the  founding  of  the  Apostolic  College  of  the  Holy  Cross  of  Quer^taro, 
as  is  told  in  the  Chronicle  of  the  Colleges  (Book  I,  Chap.  12,  pages  39 
and  40),  in  order  that  its  friars  might  be  employed  principally  in  the  task 
of  reducing  to  civilization  and  Christianity  the  Indians  who  inhabited 
the  mountain  region,  or  Sierra  Gorda  of  that  State.  This  region,  very 
rough  and  broken,  begins  about  thirty  leagues  from  the  city  just  named, 
and  extends  for  over  one  hundred  leagues  in  length  and  thirty  in  width 
toward  the  northeast,  and  in  its  brakes  and  ravines  live  the  Indians  of 
the  Pame  nation,  still  in  their  barbarism  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they 
are  so  near  to  Christian  towns.  When  the  above  mentioned  College 
had  been  founded,  as  is  related  in  the  Chronicle,  Book  IV,  Chap.  I, 
pages  253  and  254,  two  of  the  first  Missionaries  of  the  founders  started 
for  the  Sierra  in  order  to  carry  out  the  plan  of  their  conversion.  When 
they  had  reached  the  hills  and  begun  their  work  among  the  Spanish 
peoples  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  they  were  told  that  the  region  was 
already  occupied  by  the  Reverend  Dominican  Fathers  who  had  founded 
Missions  there,  so  they  did  not  penetrate  into  the  interior  of  the  hills, 
but  skirted  them  toward  the  east  until  they  arrived  at  a  hiU  called 
Famauripa,  which  divides  Nueva  Leon  from  the  Province  called  the 
Huasteca,  and  here  they  founded  a  Mission  which  was  afterwards 
placed  under  the  Custody  of  Tampico. 

Acting  under  this  understanding  of  the  matter,  the  Missionary 
Fathers  of  Quer^taro  did  not  attempt  further  to  exert  their  activities  in 
the  reduction  of  the  Indians  of  the  Sierra  Gorda,  considering  that  they 
were  already  evangelized.  This  was  the  understanding  of  all  up  to  the 
year  1743  in  which  His  Majesty  appointed  Colonel  Don  Joseph  Escan- 
don  as  General  over  this  district.    The  latter  immediately  desired  to  visit 


24  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


it  in  ftdfiUment  of  his  duties,  and  although  he  found  that  the  Reverend 
Dominican  Fathers  had  occupied  one  side  and  those  of  Saint  Augustine 
the  other,  he  discovered  in  the  center  between  the  two  a  great  belt  of 
\  the  people  of  the  Pame  nation  who  were  living  in  paganism  and  among 
■'''  them  many  Christians,  who,  when  they  were  children,  had  been  brought 
down  to  the  towns  of  the  Spaniards  and  had  been  baptized.  But  they 
were  only  Christian  in  name  for  they  were  living  as  pagans  and  mingled 
with  those  who  were.  The  General  proposed  to  them  that  they  come 
and  live  in  towns  as  the  Christians  do  in  their  own  lands  and  he  would 
bring  them  Fathers  who  would  instruct  and  baptize  them.  To  this 
they  agreed  and  word  was  sent  to  his  Excellency  the  Viceroy,  and  then 
in  turn  to  His  Majesty,  who  issued  a  royal  decree  authorizing  the  found- 
ing of  eight  Missions,  three  under  the  care  of  the  ApostoHc  College  of 
Pachuca  of  the  Reverend  Barefoot  Fathers  of  our  Order,  and  the  re- 
maining five  to  our  Apostolic  College  of  San  Fernando,  making  the  divid- 
ing line  between  them  the  copious  waters  of  the  River  Monteztmia  which 
drains  the  valley  of  Mexico  and  after  crossing  the  Sierra  and  winding 
through  the  Huasteca,  empties  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  work  of  evangelization  began  in  the  year  1744  with  the  ar- 
rival of  the  Missionaries  of  the  College  of  San  Fernando,  having  for  their 
president  the  Reverend  Father  Fr.  Pedro  P^rez  de  Mezquia,  and  with 
him  came  Gen.  Don  Joseph  Escandon.  On  exploring  the  region  they  de- 
cided on  five  appropriate  sites  for  the  Missions  to  which  the  Indians  of 
the  neighborhood  gathered  and  they  were  left  free  to  go  to  the  one  they 
preferred.  The  Reverend  Father  President  assigned  two  Missionaries 
to  each  station  and  with  the  help  of  the  native  Indians  and  a  few  of  the 
Christian  Indians  who  had  been  brought  out  from  Mexico  as  colonists, 
the  Standard  of  the  Holy  Cross  was  raised,  a  Chapel  of  wood  roofed  with 
thatch,  to  serve  provisionally  for  a  church,  and  then  a  house  of  the  same 
material  for  the  residence  of  the  Fathers.  The  Indians  also  formed  little 
huts  of  the  same  material  for  their  dwellings  and  to  protect  themselves 
from  the  heat  of  the  sun.  The  Governor  stationed  at  the  principal 
Mission,  in  the  place  called  Jalpan  (dedicated  to  the  Apostle  Saint 
James,  Patron  of  the  Spanish  Possessions),  a  company  of  soldiers  of  the 
militia  with  their  corresponding  officers,  captain,  lieutenant  and  ensign, 
from  which  company  the  soldiers  were  divided  into  squads  and  sent  to 
the  various  Missions  wherever  they  thought  it  necessary  that  the  Mis- 
sionaries have  an  escort.  When  the  Missions  were  established,  they 
were  all  dedicated,  the  other  four  being  dedicated  to  the  Immaculate 


1 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  25 

Conception  of  our  Lady,  to  the  Prince  and  Archangel  Michael,  to  our 
Seraphic  Father  St.  Francis,  and  to  our  Lady  of  the  Light.  The  Gen- 
eral retired  to  the  city  of  Quer^taro,  leaving  to  the  Fathers  the  task  of 
making  out  the  census  in  which  were  to  be  counted  the  Indians  as  they 
settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  each  Mission,  the  number  reaching  3840. 
The  Fathers  inquired  as  to  who  had  been  baptized  in  infancy  and  who 
had  not.  They  instructed  these  in  two  different  classes  by  means  of 
interpreters,  making  use  principally  of  the  Indians  from  Mexico,  as  they 
had  learned  to  use  the  language;  and  finally  the  priests  baptized  all 
that  had  been  living  in  paganism. 

The  Reverend  Father  Mezquia,  an  experienced  man  in  the  matter  of 
founding  Missions,  having  been  one  of  those  whom  the  Venerable  Father 
Margil  took  with  him  for  the  Missions  in  Texas,  began  to  formulate  the 
instructions  which  should  be  given  to  the  Indians  of  the  Sierra  Gorda 
for  their  spiritual  and  temporal  direction.  These  same  rules  were  used 
in  the  other  Missions  of  the  Colleges  of  the  Holy  Cross  of  Quer^taro  and 
in  that  of  our  Lady  of  Guadalupe  of  Zacatecas  in  their  Spiritual  Con- 
quests, and  it  is  as  follows: 

RULES  AND  REGULATIONS  FOR  SPIRITUAL  DIRECTION     ' 

In  the  first  place  the  Missionary  Fathers  shall  see  to  it  that  at  sunrise,  at  the 
ringing  of  the  bell,  all  the  Indians  shall  gather  in  the  church,  both  men  and  women, 
those  who  have  been  baptized  and  those  who  have  not,  as  well  as  also  the  neophytes, 
without  a  single  exception. 

One  of  the  Fathers  shall  repeat  with  them  the  prayers  and  the  text  of  the  Chris- 
tian Doctrines,  explaining  to  them  in  Spanish  the  principal  ones;  and  he  shall  do  the 
same,  after  the  adults  have  gone  out,  with  the  boys  and  girls,  in  the  morning  and  in 
the  afternoon  just  before  sunset,  including  all  over  five  years  old,  without  allowing  a 
single  exception  to  this  exercise. 

All  the  catechumens,  and  those  who  are  about  to  marry,  or  to  fulfill  the  annual 
precept  concerning  confession,  shall  attend  these  classes  on  the  doctrines  both 
morning  and  afternoon,  in  order  that  they  may  be  instructed  before  receiving  these 
Holy  Sacraments.  The  same  rule  shall  be  followed  in  the  case  of  those  who  may 
have  forgotten  the  doctrine  in  spite  of  the  obligation  to  be  present  at  the  daily 
practice. 

The  feast  days  shall  be  kept  with  all  vigilance,  and  no  one  shall  fail  to  attend  the 
principal  Mass  nor  the  sermon  which  should  accompany  it  with  the  explanation  of 
the  Gospel  or  the  mysteries  of  our  Holy  Faith.  The  Father  shall  try  to  adapt  these 
with  prudence  and  tact  to  the  intelligence  and  simplicity  of  the  Indians,  and  when 
Mass  is  over,  one  of  the  Missionaries  shall  call  the  roll  by  name  of  all,  and  they  shall 
all  come,  one  by  one,  as  the  names  are  called,  and  kiss  his  hand.  In  this  way  it  will 
be  seen  if  there  are  any  absent. 


26  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

The  more  intelligent  and  capable  ones  shall  be  exhorted  to  frequent  the  Holy 
Sacraments,  in  addition  to  attendance  at  church,  principally  on  the  great  feast  days, 
and  to  hear  Mass  even  in  the  days  in  which  it  is  not  obligatory  to  do  so;  but  this  not 
to  be  required  by  force,  but  each  to  be  left  at  liberty  to  come  or  not. 

The  sick  shall  be  visited  as  often  as  possible,  having  in  mind  the  conditions  of 
the  country,  and  they  shall  be  helped  and  cured  with  the  greatest  care,  and  they 
shall  receive  the  Sacraments  if  entitled  to  them  and  shall  be  given  the  aids  in  pre- 
paring for  death.     The  people  shall  also  be  required  to  attend  the  funeral. 

The  Fathers  shall  also  carefully  try  to  do  away  with  enmities  and  quarrels 
among  the  people,  teaching  them  to  live  in  peace  and  Christian  love  and  shall  be 
careful  that  there  be  no  scandal  or  evil  example  in  the  Missions. 

TEMPORAL  GOVERNMENT 

^  In  order  to  secure  this  spiritual  fruitage,  which  is  the  main  purpose 
of  the  Mission,  the  Reverend  Father  Mezquia  ordered  that  the  temporal 
good  of  the  Indians  of  the  Pame  people  should  be  secured.  Because  if 
these  things  were  lacking  the  Indians  would  not  be  able  to  come  to  the 
Mission  nor  attend  Mass  or  take  part  in  the  daily  prayer,  for  they  would 

♦  be  obliged  to  be  scattered  abroad  in  search  of  food  and  clothing.  In 
order  to  avoid  this,  His  Paternity  directed  that  the  Fathers  of  the  Mis- 
sions should  request,  through  the  Sindico  and  on  account  of  the  annual 
stipend  which  His  Majesty  had  given  them  for  their  maintenance,  in 
addition  to  the  contributions  at  the  time  of  Mass  which  they  had  been 

.J  recommended  to  receive,  tools  and  other  implements  necessary  to  plant 
the  crops,  as  well  as  cows,  oxen  and  other  cattle  in  order  that  the  fruitage 
of  these  things  might  maintain  the  Mission,  as  was  the  custom  in  the 
early  days  of  the  Church.  This  was  done  at  the  beginning  of  the  Mis- 
sions and  as  time  went  on  the  gifts  were  increased  and  several  crops 
were  harvested  and  distributed  among  the  Indians  in  order  to  help  them 
in  their  life  around  the  Missions. 

The  climate  in  this  Sierra  is  very  hot  and  damp  and  therefore  trying 
to  the  health.  For  this  reason  many  of  the  Missionaries  were  taken  sick, 
of  whom  in  the  first  few  months  four  died  and  others  had  to  return  to 
the  hospital  of  the  College,  there  being  left  only  two  of  the  foimders  of 
the  Mission.  As  the  College  was  at  that  time  so  depleted,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  ask  for  aid  from  the  Colleges  of  Quer^taro  and  of  Zacatecas, 
but  as  these  were  sent  to  supply  vacancies  and  remained  only  six  months 
and  then  had  to  be  replaced  with  others,  they  did  not  have  time  to  learn 
the  language  and  so  the  Spiritual  Conquest  of  the  land  suffered  a  great 
hindrance. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  47 


CHAPTER  VII 

Continuation  of  the  Same  Subject. 

THIS  was  the  state  of  things  in  the  above  mentioned  Missions  ' 
when  our  group  of  laborers  arrived  from  Spain,  and  as  the  Ven- 
erable Father  Junipero  and  myself  as  his  companion  had  been  named  to 
go  to  one  of  these  Missions,  we  left  the  College  of  San  Fernando  in  the 
early  days  of  June  of  the  year  1 750.  Although  there  had  come  from  the 
Mission  of  Jalpan,  whither  we  were  to  go.  Christian  Indians  and  a  soldier 
as  escort  with  saddle-horses  and  pack-animals,  on  account  of  the  long 
and  hard  road,  for  all  that,  my  revered  Father  Fr.  Junipero  desired  to  i- 
make  the  journey  on  foot.  This  decision  resulted  in  making  much  worse 
the  sore  in  his  foot  and  the  swelling  as  it  was  a  long,  hard  journey,  but 
thanks  be  to  God,  we  arrived  there  on  the  i6th  of  June  and  had  the  great 
pleasure  of  seeing  the  extreme  joy  of  those  who  received  us  in  the  Mis- 
sion, the  number  of  Indians,  both  great  and  small,  being  about  a  thousand. 
But  all  these  were  so  very  lacking  in  everything  on  account  of  their 
ignorance  of  the  language,  that  there  was  not  a  single  one  who  fulfilled 
his  obligations  to  the  Church  by  coming  every  year  to  Confession  and 
Communion. 

When  our  Venerable  Father  understood  the  situation  in  which  the 
Missions  were  placed,  and  of  which  he  had  been  named  President  by  our 
College,  he  put  in  force  the  Temporal  and  Spiritual  Instructions  given  v 
for  the  direction  of  the  people  and  he  tried  to  add  to  them  whatever  he 
thought  might  help  and  what  his  fervent  zeal  in  the  matter  dictated. 

When  he  saw  how  backward  things  were  for  the  reasons  already 
given,  he  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  the  language,  having  for  his  •  '■- 
teacher  a  Mexican  Indian  who  had  been  brought  up  among  the  Fames. 
As  soon  as  he  had  availed  himself  of  this  important  medium  for  the 
spiritual  progress  of  the  people,  he  translated  into  the  Fame  dialect  the 
prayers  and  the  text  of  the  Christian  doctrine,  the  more  important  of 
the  Mysteries,  and  then  he  began  to  repeat  the  prayers  with  the  Indians  * 
in  their  own  language,  alternating  daily  with  the  Doctrine  in  Spanish 
so  that  in  a  short  time  they  were  under  the  influence  of  the  Mysteries  of 


28  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

our  Holy  Faith  and  began  to  make  Confession  and  to  receive  Commun- 
ion, fulfilling  annually  the  precepts  of  the  Holy  Church.  The  servant  of 
God  persuaded  them  by  his  fervent  talks  to  come  to  Mass  and  Confession 
on  the  feast  days  by  setting  them  the  example,  as  had  done  the  great 
St.  Francis  de  Sales,  confessing  himself  publicly  in  the  Presbytery  when 
the  church  was  full  of  people  at  the  time  of  the  High  Mass  on  the  feast 
days.  He  thus  obtained  the  end  desired  so  that  there  were  many  who 
confessed  as  a  matter  of  devotion,  and  there  were  days  in  which  the 
niunber  of  Communicants  was  more  than  a  hundred,  others  in  which  it 
was  forty,  etc.,  and  each  year  at  the  time  of  Easter,  nearly  every  one 
complied,  especially  towards  the  close  of  the  period  of  nine  years  in 
which  he  was  located  in  these  Missions,  in  which  time  a  very  large  num- 
ber of  pagans  were  baptized  by  our  Venerable  Father.  I  will  not  say 
how  many  as  I  did  not  take  the  pains  to  find  out,  but  it  is  sufiicient  to 
say  that  there  was  not  left  a  single  pagan  in  all  that  region,  but  all  its 
inhabitants  had  been  baptized  by  my  Revered  Father  and  his  Compan- 
ions, and  all  had  been  civilized  and  were  living  in  the  town  within  call 
«  of  the  bell. 

In  order  to  ground  them  well  in  the  Faith  which  had  they  received 
and  instruct  them  in  the  Catholic  religion,  he  instructed  them  concern- 
ing all  the  feast  days  of  the  Lord  and  of  the  most  Holy  Virgin  oiu*  Lady, 
as  well  as  in  those  of  the  Saints,  and  for  this  end  he  made  use  of  all  the 
inducements  which  his  holy  Apostolic  zeal  suggested,  his  exercises  being 
almost  continual  in  the  virtues  and  charities  of  oiir  Religion.  In  all 
the  feasts  of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  of  the  Holy  Mary  he  celebrated 
High  Mass  and  in  them  preached,  explaining  the  Mystery  and  the  oc- 
casion for  the  Holy  Day.  In  the  principal  ones  the  Novena  preceded 
and  the  people  attended  them  almost  in  a  body.  The  feast  day  of  the 
Nativity  was  with  High  Mass  at  daybreak,  and  the  last  day  of  the  year 
was  ended  with  Mass  in  which  the  Calenda  was  sung  and  a  sermon 
given,  all  being  invited  to  attend  the  Matins  and  the  Midnight  Mass. 
When  this  was  finished,  a  dialogue  was  presented  which  represented  the 
birth  of  the  Child  Jesus.  In  this  some  of  the  Indian  children  took  part, 
whom  the  zealous  Father  had  previously  instructed,  a  part  of  them  to 
recite  in  Spanish  and  another  part  in  Fame,  so  reproducing  that  great 
Mystery  with  great  vividness.  In  this  way  he  was  able  to  instruct  them 
and  win  their  affection. 

During  the  time  of  the  Lenten  season  he  did  not  spare  himself  in  his 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  29 

devotion  to  his  desire  to  move  the  hearts  of  the  neophytes.  He  began 
immediately  on  Ash  Wednesday  with  this  sacred  ceremony  of  the 
Church,  which  all  the  people  attended.  He  explained  its  meaning, 
finishing  with  a  sermon  and  an  exhortation  that  all  shoiild  remember 
that  they  are  mortals.  On  every  Sunday  of  Lent  he  was  not  satisfied 
with  the  Simple  Doctrines  at  the  High  Mass,  but  in  the  afternoon, 
after  reciting  the  prayers  of  the  Rosary  of  the  Holy  Mary  and  the  sing- 
ing of  the  Praises,  he  used  to  preach  a  moral  sermon.  He  did  the  same 
on  Friday  after  having  made  in  procession  the  Way  of  the  Cross  from 
the  Church  to  the  Chapel  of  Calvary  which  he  had  ordered  erected  on 
a  hill  outside  of  the  town  and  within  sight  of  the  Church.  In  this 
sacred  exercise,  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  used  to  carry  a  cross 
which  was  so  heavy  that  I,  who  was  younger  and  stronger  than  he, 
could  scarcely  lift  it.  When  the  service  was*  over,  he  would  preach 
with  great  tenderness  about  the  Passion  and  try  to  persuade  them  to 
give  their  devotion  to  it.  Holy  Week  was  celebrated  with  all  the  cer- 
emonies of  our  Mother  Church.  On  Palm  Sunday  the  procession  was 
celebrated  and  beginning  on  that  day  and  every  day  thereafter  the 
Passion  was  recited,  in  which  each  of  us  had  to  take  double  part  because 
there  were  but  two  of  us.  The  same  with  regard  to  the  Matins  of  the 
three  days.  On  Holy  Thursday,  the  Eucharist  was  put  in  the  place 
prepared  for  it  and  both  on  that  day  and  on  Friday,  and  on  Saturday 
as  well,  all  the  other  ceremonies  were  performed  according  to  custom. 
In  addition  to  these  he  added  several  processions  which  he  was  wont  to 
terminate  with  a  sermon.  On  Thursday,  after  having  washed  the  feet 
of  twelve  of  the  oldest  Indians  and  eaten  with  them,  he  proceeded  to  the 
sermon  of  "washing  of  the  feet,"  and  at  night  made  the  procession 
with  the  image  of  the  Christ  Crucified  in  the  presence  of  all  the  people. 
On  Good  Friday  he  used  to  preach  in  the  morning  on  the  Passion,  and 
in  the  afternoon  the  Descent  from  the  Cross  was  represented  with  the 
greatest  vividness  by  means  of  a  lifelike  figure  which  he  had  ordered 
made  for  the  purpose  and  which  had  hinges.  He  handled  the  subject  in 
his  sermon  with  the  greatest  devotion  and  tenderness.  The  body  of  Our 
Lord  was  placed  in  a  casket  and  then  used  in  the  procession  of  the  Holy 
Burial.  It  was  afterward  placed  upon  an  altar  which  he  had  also  pre- 
pared for  this  purpose  and  at  night  another  procession  was  made  in 
honor  of  Our  Lady  of  Solitude,  and  then  the  day  was  finished  with  a 
special  sermon  on  this  subject.     On  the  Saturday  following,  all   cer- 


30  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

emonies  belonging  to  the  day  were  observed,  the  water  was  blessed  and 
the  converts  who  had  been  instructed  and  prepared  for  it  were  bap- 
tized. Very  early  on  Sunday  morning  the  procession  of  Our  Risen  Lord 
took  place,  which  was  celebrated  by  means  of  an  image  of  the  Lord 
and  another  of  the  Most  Holy  Virgin.  On  returning  to  the  church  High 
Mass  was  sung  and  the  Venerable  Father  would  preach  about  this 
Sovereign  Mystery. 

By  means  of  these  most  holy  exercises  the  great  tenderness  of  de- 
votion of  the  converts  was  greatly  increased  and  by  the  use  of  them  the 
Holy  Week  was  yearly  more  and  more  celebrated,  the  word  going  out 
among  the  peoples  in  the  vicinity,  composed  of  Spaniards,  and  causing 
many  of  them  to  come  to  take  part  in  the  service,  being  attracted  by 
what  they  heard  said  concerning  the  extreme  devotion  of  the  Indians; 
and  when  they  had  once  witnessed  the  ceremonies  they  would  return 
from  year  to  year,  moving  from  their  homes  to  the  Mission  where  they 
remained  until  the  Holy  Week  had  passed. 

With  no  less  carefulness  did  this  servant  of  God  try  to  draw  his 
children  toward  the  worship  of  the  most  Holy  Sacrament.  He  in- 
structed them  to  prepare  and  decorate  arches  in  the  road  where  the 
procession  of  Corpus  Christi  would  pass.  Four  chapels  were  placed 
along  the  way  with  their  respective  altars  where  our  Crucified  Lord 
might  rest,  and  after  the  singing  in  each  one  of  them  of  the  corresponding 
anthem,  verse  and  prayer,  an  Indian  stood  up  (generally  a  little  boy) 
and  recited  a  praise  to  the  Divine  Sacrament,  of  which  two  were  in 
Spanish  and  two  in  the  Fame  dialect,  which  were  very  touching  and 
increased  the  devotion  of  all.  When  they  had  returned  to  the  church 
a  Mass  was  sung  and  a  sermon  preached  on  this  most  Holy  Mystery. 

With  the  same  carefulness  he  consecrated  himself  to  encourage  in 
all  devotion  to  our  Lady  Mary,  and  especially  to  her  Most  Immaculate 
Conception,  preparing  for  this  celebration  with  a  Novena  at  which  all 
the  people  were  present.  On  the  great  day  of  the  feast  Mass  was  sung, 
a  sermon  was  preached,  and  afterwards  they  chanted  The  Joys  of  the 
Most  Immaculate  Conception.  Every  Sunday  afternoon  they  recited 
the  Crown  of  Our  Mother  of  Mercy,  finishing  it  with  a  H)min  of  Praise 
and  the  Hymn  of  Joy,  which  were  sung.  In  order  to  make  this  the  more 
attractive  the  Venerable  Father  had  had  sent  out  from  Mexico  a  sctilp- 
tured  image  of  oiir  most  Sweet  Lady  which  was  put  upon  a  platform 
and  taken  out  in  procession  through  the  town  every  Saturday  night, 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  ( 

the  illumination  being  made  with  lanterns,  and  with  the  accompaniment 
of  the  singing  of  the  Rosary.  After  coming  back  again  into  the  church 
they  sang  the  hymn, ''  Tota  pulchra  es  Maria,''  which  our  beloved  servant 
translated  into  Spanish  and  which  the  Indians  learned  by  heart  and 
chanted  with  great  solemnity,  producing  in  all  who  heard  it  the  greatest 
tenderness,  especially  that  verse  which  says:  ''Thou  art  the  honor  of 
our  people"  and  by  means  of  which  a  most  ardent  devotion  was  kindled 
toward  our  Most  Merciful  Mother. 

In  the  same  way  he  tried  to  impress  upon  their  plastic  hearts  de- 
votion to  Saint  Michael,  Archangel,  to  the  Most  Holy  Patriarch,  Saint 
Joseph ;  to  our  Holy  Father,  Saint  Francis,  and  to  the  other  Saints  in 
such  a  fashion  that  the  whole  people  were  as  well  instructed  as  if  they 
were  Spaniards  and  had  been  brought  up  Catholics,  all  this  being  due 
to  the  very  fervent  zeal  of  our  Venerable  Fr.  Junipero.  In  view  of  the 
most  laborious  service  of  this  model  Prelate  his  subordinates  were  set 
to  imitate  him,  as  well  as  were  also  the  friars  of  the  other  four  Missions, 
and  through  these  means  the  whole  of  the  five  towns  became  as  thor> 
oughly  Christian  as  if  they  had  always  been  such. 

In  order  to  accomplish  this  spiritual  result,  which  was  the  principal  | 
object  of  the  Conquest,  the  servant  of  God  also  carried  out  the  instruc-     ., 
tion  which  had  been  given  for  the  temporal  government  of  the  people,  1^ 
as  soon  as  he  arrived  at  his  Mission  of  Jalpan,  seeing  to  it  that  as  far  as 
possible  the  Indians  should  have  what  they  needed  to  eat  and  to  wear  i 
in  order  that  they  might  remain  in  the  Mission  and  not  absent  them- 
selves from  it  because  of  any  need  to  provide  themselves  with  food. 
To  this  end  our  good  Father  secured  through  the  College  Sindico  a  • 
supply  of  oxen,  cows,  asses,  sheep  and  goats;  he  also  secured  com  and 
beans  in  order  to  make  a  planting  for  the  current  year  in  which  he  spent 
not  only  all  that  was  left  of  the  three  hundred  dollars  of  the  stipend 
which  his  Majesty  had  assigned  to  each  Missionary  for  his  maintenance, 
but  he  also  used  in  this  way  the  contributions  which  had  come  in  for  the 
Masses  which  had  been  said,  and  which  some  friends  of  the  Mission  had 
forwarded.     And  so  it  was  that  he  soon  was  able  to  harvest  a  crop  and 
each  year  the  amount  harvested  increased  so  that  every  day  he  was 
able  to  distribute  something  to  the  people  after  the  recital  of  the  prayers 
and  of  the  doctrine.     When  these  harvests,  which  had  been  obtained 
as  the  result  of  the  greatest  effort  and  through  the  kindly  blessings  of 
heaven,  had  largely  increased  and  were  so  abundant  that  there  was 


32  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

/  something  left  after  all  had  been  provided  for,  he  instructed  the  Indians 
as  to  how  they  might  sell  their  grain,  under  the  direction  of  the  Mis- 
.,  sionaries,  and  with  the  money  gained  buy  more  yokes  of  oxen  and  in- 
crease the  number  of  their  tools  and  other  agricultural  implements 
\  needed  in  the  fields.  Blankets,  cloth  and  other  things  were  brought  in 
from  Mexico  with  which  to  provide  clothing  and  were  distributed  among 
the  farm  people  as  a  sort  of  recompense  for  their  part  in  the  labor,  as 
well  as  in  order  to  encourage  them  further  in  these  activities,  which  are 
quite  laborious,  but  none  the  less  important  and  useful. 

In  this  most  important  labor  he  also  tried  to  interest  the  women  and 
the  children,  assigning  to  them  their  corresponding  tasks  and  which 
were  adapted  to  the  strength  and  ability  of  each,  in  order  that  by  these 
means  they  might  be  weaned  away  from  the  idleness  in  which  they  had 
grown  up  and  to  which  they  had  been  so  long  accustomed.  One  of  the 
Fathers  would  himself  personally  superintend  the  labor  in  the  field 
(especially  during  the  first  few  years),  both  in  order  to  encourage  them 
and  to  instruct  them;  and  this  was  done  until  a  proper  trustworthy 
person  was  found  to  act  as  a  captain  over  them.  After  a  while  one  of  the 
^z-  more  intelligent  Indians  was  able  to  render  this  service.  So  it  was  that 
they  harvested  abundant  crops,  the  property  of  the  commimity  was 
increased  and  the  natives  became  more  and  more  civilized  every  day. 
As  they  became  interested  in  planting  their  own  fields  of  com,  chili, 
beans  and  pumpkins,  they  were  separately  assigned  strips  of  land,  now 
and  then  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and  other  things,  from  the  possessions  of  the 
community,  as  well  as  seeds  for  planting.  The  fruit  from  these  fields, 
over  and  above  what  they  needed  for  their  own  consumption,  was  sold 
and  with  the  money  gained  they  were  encouraged  to  buy  clothing,  horses, 
and  mules,  all  under  the  guidance  of  the  Father  who  instructed  them  and 
prevented  them  from  being  cheated. 

As  soon  as  the  Venerable  Fr.  Junlpero  saw  that  his  children,  the 
Indians,  were  in  a  condition  to  work  with  greater  eagerness  than  at  first, 
he  began  the  work  of  the  construction  of  a  church  building  of  stone  with 
a  large  enough  capacity  to  hold  all  the  people.  He  communicated  his 
desire  to  all  the  Indians,  who,  with  great  joy,  agreed  to  his  plan  and  offered 
to  bring  in  the  stone  and  the  sand  and  to  make  the  lime  and  mortar 
and  to  serve  as  helpers  to  the  stone-masons.  The  work  was  begun  and 
was  continued  through  all  the  dry  seasons  except  when  it  was  neces- 
sary to  attend  to  the  labors  of  the  field,  and  at  the  end  of  seven  years 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  (     33 


the  church  was  finished.  It  measured  53  yards  long  and  11  wide,  with 
its  corresponding  vaulted  ceiling  and  cross  and  at  the  back  of  it  the 
vestr3r  which  also  had  its  vaulted  ceiling.  A  chapel  was  also  built 
which  was  dedicated  to  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  It  was  adorned  with  the 
images  and  altars  of  the  Passion  of  Our  Lord,  in  order  to  increase  their 
devotion  for  the  sacred  services  of  the  Holy  Week.  The  church  was 
also  adorned  with  altars  and  altar-pieces  and  gilded  railings.  An  organ 
was  placed  in  the  choir  and  a  teacher  brought  out  who  could  play  it  and 
teach  the  Indians  to  sing  the  Masses. 

With  the  activity  of  these  labors  it  was  necessary  to  provide  men  for  1 
the  special  trades  such  as  masonry,  carpentry,  blacksmithing,  painting, 
decorating,  etc.,  and  the  Indians  became  skilled  in  these  labors.  The 
fervent  zeal  of  the  Rev.  Father  Junipero  had  not  forgotten  to  provide 
labor  also  for  the  women,  and  they  were  engaged  in  the  corresponding 
tasks  of  their  sex,  such  as  spinning,  weaving,  knitting,  sewing,  etc.  He 
also  interested  them  in  going  out  to  sell  their  wares  in  other  places  such 
as  Zimapan,  the  Huasteca,  etc.,  taking  their  grains,  mecates,^  and  petates 
(that  is  to  say,  sisal  ropes  and  mats  made  of  fine  palm)  which  they  made 
and  from  which  they  realized  enough  to  buy  cotton.  This  they  spun 
and  wove  in  order  ^o  make  cloth  for  garments.  They  also  brought  from 
the  mining  camp  of  Zimapan  blankets  and  coarse  cloth  for  the  same 
purpose.  With  the  help  of  these  things  and  with  what  was  sent  out  for 
the  stipend  and  for  the  contribution  for  the  Mass,  enough  money  was 
obtained  to  pay  the  wages  of  the  masons,  and  in  such  a  manner  did  our 
Lord  and  God  provide  for  our  needs  that  when  the  church  was  finally 
finished,  instead  of  the  Mission  being  in  debt  there  was  found  to  be  more 
money  in  the  treasury  than  at  the  beginning,  and  the  bams  to  contain 
more  than  five  thousand  fanegas^^  of  com. 

Stimulated  by  the  good  example  of  the  Venerable  Father  Jtmipero, 
the  Father  of  the  other  four  Missions  did  the  same,  and  constructed 
their  churches  after  the  model  of  that  of  Saint  James,  of  Jalpan,  with 
the  help  of  the  people  that  lived  in  each  region.  These  were  decorated 
with  paintings  upon  the  walls,  furnished  with  sacred  vessels  and  other 
accessories,  and  at  the  same  time  their  fields  were  made  to  produce  abun- 
dant harvests  and  to  increase  in  the  number  of  cattle  and  beasts  of  bur- 
den. So  these  peoples  who  had  aforetime  been  untamed  and  savage 
became  civilized  and  instructed  in  religion. 


34  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Continuing  the  Same  Subject  as  that  of  the  Two  Preceding  Chapters. 

AT  this  time  when  the  above  mentioned  Missions  had  been  brought 
to  this  flourishing  condition,  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian  of  the  Col- 
lege of  San  Fernando  called  our  Venerable  Fr.  Junipero  to  prepare  him- 
self to  take  part  in  the  Spiritual  Conquest  of  the  Apache  Indians  on  the 
river  of  San  Saba/^  and  immediately  this  obedient  servant,  as  soon  as  he 
received  the  letter,  with  his  face  radiant  with  a  new  joy  and  happiness, 
left  the  Mission  in  which  he  had  labored  for  nine  years  and  to  which  he 
had  given  all  the  instructions  which  we  have  recorded,  taking  with  him 
as  a  trophy  of  the  victorious  conquest  which  he  had  had  over  the  devil 
the  principal  idol  which  those  unhappy  beings  had  formerly  worshiped 
as  their  god.  This  was  a  well  wrought  face  of  a  woman,  sculptured  on  a 
block  of  marble,  which  had  been  kept  on  the  top  of  one  of  the  highest 
mountains  in  a  house  which  was  a  sort  of  chapel  or  worshiping  place 
and  to  which  they  used  to  go  up  by  a  stairway  cut  in  the  stone  and  along 
the  side  of  which,  as  well  as  in  the  level  place  on  the  summit,  were  some 
of  the  tombs  of  the  principal  Indians  of  the  Fame  nation,  who  had,  be- 
fore their  death,  asked  that  they  might  be  buried  in  that  place. 

The  name  which  they  gave  to  this  idol  in  the  native  tongue  was 
Cachum,  that  is,  Mother  of  the  Sun,  who  was  venerated  as  a  god.  An 
old  Indian  took  care  of  it  and  exercised  the  office  of  minister  to  the  de- 
mon, and  there  the  people  would  come  in  order  to  ask  the  Mother  of  the 
Sun  for  any  remedy  for  which  they  were  in  need,  such  as  rain  for  their 
crops,  or  health  in  time  of  sickness,  or  good  luck  in  their  journeys,  or 
success  in  war,  or  the  obtaining  of  a  wife.  In  order  to  obtain  these 
things  they  would  come  to  the  old  man  with  a  piece  of  white  paper  in 
their  hand  on  which  nothing  was  written,  as  they  did  not  know  how  to 
either  read  or  write,  but  which  served  as  a  means  of  communication. 
As  soon  as  the  false  priest  received  this  the  parties  were  considered  as 
thereby  married.  Whole  basketfuls  of  these  papers  were  found,  to- 
gether with  a  great  many  little  idols,  and  these  were  all  burned  up  with 
the  exception  of  the  principal  idol.    The  latter  was  regarded  by  the  old 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SEKRA  35 

man  who  took  care  of  it  as  very  sacred,  and  he  kept  it  covered  up  and 
hidden  and  allowed  only  a  very  few  people  to  see  it,  and  then  only  to 
such  of  the  pagans  as  came  in  pilgrimages  from  long  distances  to  wor- 
ship and  to  bring  their  votive  offerings  and  to  ask  for  help  in  their  ne- 
cessities. 

As  soon  as  the  Missionaries  had  entered  upon  their  Conquest,  and 
the  people  had  been  gathered  into  the  five  Mission  stations,  as  has  al- 
ready been  related,  the  old  Indian  took  great  care  to  hide  away  this 
image  in  a  cave  among  the  rocks  of  that  high  moimtain.  When  the 
captain  of  the  soldiers  sent  out  a  sergeant  with  a  squad  of  men  to  bum 
all  the  huts  of  the  Indians  which  were  scattered  about  among  the  hills 
in  order  that  the  people  might  move  into  the  new  town,  when  they  came 
to  that  place  where  was  the  hut  that  had  served  as  the  church  or  place 
of  worship  for  the  idol,  they  set  it  on  fire  without  knowing  for  what  pur- 
pose the  place  had  been  used.  Although  they  made  three  or  four  at- 
tempts to  ignite  the  hut  (the  sergeant  himself  told  this  to  me)  it  would 
not  bum,  although  it  was  constructed  of  such  combustible  materials  as 
sticks  and  thatch.  Greatly  astonished  at  this  the  sergeant  said  to  his 
soldiers :  *'  Put  fire  to  it  in  the  name  of  God  and  Our  Most  Holy  Mother." 
They  tried  it  again  and  it  immediately  began  to  bum  and  was  consimied 
in  a  moment.  They  noticed  that  a  great  smoke  came  out  which  was 
very  thick  and  of  disgusting  odor  which  filled  them  with  astonishment 
and  fear,  although  they  did  not  know  what  had  been  there.  Afterwards 
when  our  Venerable  Father  Junipero  had  learned  the  language  he  in- 
vestigated this  whole  affair  and  learned  the  truth  of  the  matter  from  the 
Indians  themselves  who  had  been  converted  and  who  delivered  over  to 
him  the  idol  above  referred  to,  Cachum,  which  he  carried  to  our  College 
of  San  Femando  and  delivered  to  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian,  asking 
that  it  be  put  in  the  box  of  the  archives  belonging  to  the  documents  and 
papers  of  these  Missions  as  a  memento  of  the  Spiritual  Conquest. 

Notwithstanding  the  departure  of  the  Venerable  Father,  the  Fathers 
who  remained  in  the  Missions  carried  on  their  Apostolic  labors  with  the 
same  zeal  and  efficiency,  and  those  who  afterwards  went  out  to  the  work 
helped  to  make  them  increase  both  in  spiritual  and  temporal  things  and 
they  were  so  well  advanced  and  so  well  civilized  that  in  a  short  time 
those  five  Indian  towns  became  the  wonder  of  all  who  passed  through 
the  region  and  a  source  of  emulation  to  the  secular  priests  in  that  neigh- 
borhood.    In  view  of  this  our  College  of  San  Femando  ordered  that 


36  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

they  should  be  delivered  to  the  Archbishop  in  order  that  they  might  be 
provided  with  parish  priests  in  accordance  with  the  regulations  made  in 
the  Apostolic  Bulls  of  Pope  Innocent  XI.  For  this  purpose  the  proper 
requests  were  presented  to  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  the  Marquis  de 
Croix,  and  to  His  Grace,  Archbishop  Francisco  Antonio  Lorenzana;  and 
when  both  these  gentlemen  had  agreed  in  the  matter  the  transfer  of  the 
Missions  was  made  in  the  year  1770,  after  having  been  founded  twenty- 
six  years.  They  were  a  source  of  wonder  and  of  edification  on  account 
of  the  great  progress  that  had  been  made  in  so  short  a  time,  as  was  shown 
by  the  documents  drawn  up  by  the  Royal  and  Ecclesiastical  Judges  who 
had  been  commissioned  to  receive  them  by  the  Viceroy  and  Archbishop 
and  who  took  pains  to  express  their  thanks  to  our  College  for  the  service 
that  they  had  rendered  to  both  Majesties  as  is  shown  in  the  two  following 
letters  which  are  copied  from  the  original. 

LETTER  FROM  HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE  VICEROY,  MARQUIS  DE  CROIX . 

The  memorial  of  Your  Reverence  and  of  the  Councillors,  dated  the  loth  of  July- 
last,  in  which  you  ask  that  secular  priests  be  placed  in  the  five  Missions  in  the  Sierra 
Gorda  which  have  been  under  the  charge  of  your  Apostolic  College,  I  referred  to  the 
Attorney  General  and  in  view  of  his  reply,  I  have  determined,  as  expressed  in  the 
decree  of  the  loth  of  the  present  month,  to  accede  to  the  request  of  Your  Reverences 
and  at  the  same  time  I  return  my  most  sincere  thanks  for  the  zeal  of  the  friars  of  the 
Mission  who  have  so  well  accomplished  their  Apostolic  labors.  I  also  advise  His 
Grace,  the  Archbishop,  to  name  an  ecclesiastic  who  shall  take  charge  of  the  above 
mentioned  Missions  and  provide  them  with  secular  priests.  I  also  commission  Don 
Vicente  Posadas,  of  the  city  of  Rio  Verde,  that  on  taking  over  the  five  Missions 
alluded  to,  he  extend  an  official  document  to  the  Fathers  who  may  be  found  in  them, 
stating  clearly  what  things  are  transferred  in  each  case,  and  that  the  friars  are  to  be 
allowed  not  only  to  take  away  their  books  and  other  belongings,  but  that  they  also 
be  provided  with  all  things  needed  for  their  comfortable  transfer  to  their  College, 
after  having  made  the  assignment  of  lands  among  the  Indians  in  the  way  which  you 
have  proposed.  To  this  end  I  have  sent  them  word  so  that  they  may  be  fully  in- 
structed and  that  they  may  make  a  complete  fulfillment.  May  God  keep  Your 
Reverences  many  years.  Mexico,  15th  of  August,  1770.  The  Marquis  of  Croix. — 
To  their  Reverences  the  Guardian  and  Discretos  of  the  Apostolic  College  of  San 
Fernando. 

LETTER    FROM    HIS    GRACE,    ARCHBISHOP    FRANCISCO     ANTONIO 

LORENZANA 
My  Dear  Sir: — 

The  parish  priest  and  ecclesiastical  judge  of  Cadereita  has  communicated  to 
me  the  steps  which,  under  my  order,  were  taken  to  put  under  the  charge  of  the 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA 

secular  clergy  the  five  Missions  of  Jalpan,  Landa,  Tilaco,  Tancoyol,  and 
in  the  Sierra  Gorda,  in  which  has  been  made  manifest  the  indefatigable  zeal  with 
which  the  sons  of  your  Apostolic  College  have  labored,  in  that  their  punctual  fulfill- 
ment of  their  duties  has  been  quite  as  noticeable  at  the  end  as  it  was  at  the  begin- 
ning of  their  work.  I  cannot  help  but  communicate  to  your  Reverence  my  gratitude 
and  my  sense  of  obligation  which  make  me  long  for  an  opportunity  on  my  part  in 
which  to  serve  you.  May  Our  Lord  keep  Your  Reverences  many  years. —  Mexico, 
Dec.  22nd,  1770.  I  kiss  Your  Reverences'  hand.  Most  afiFectionately,  Francisco, 
Archbishop  of  Mexico. —  To  the  Reverend  Father  Guardian  and  Discretos  of  the 
College  of  San  Fernando. 

The  honor  which  accrued  to  the  College  of  San  Fernando  from  this 
transfer  of  the  five  above  mentioned  Missions,  which  in  the  short  period 
of  twenty-six  years  had  been  brought  to  so  fine  spiritual  and  temporal  , 
condition;  the  honor  which  the  Apostolic  Institution  had  received  and  | 
the  very  great  labor  accomplished  by  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero 
during  the  nine  years  in  which  he  was  in  charge,  have  stimulated  me  to 
give  these  details  of  the  transfer  and  to  repeat  these  affectionate  expres- 
sions of  regard  which  the  above  mentioned  illustrious  gentlemen  tendered 
to  the  College  when  the  Missions  were  received  and  when  they  were  in- 
formed by  the  Commissioners  of  the  careful  instruction  which  the  con- 
verted Indians  of  that  region  had  received  and  the  opulence  in  which 
the  Missions  were  left  and  of  which  our  Venerable  Father  had  been 
President  and  among  which  he  had  worked  so  faithfully  to  bring  them 
to  this  condition.  It  was  his  obedience  to  another  call,  that  of  the 
Missions  of  San  Saba,  that  made  necessary  his  separation  from  these  »] 
Missions  before  the  transfer  had  fully  taken  place. 


y.-^ 


>^ 


38  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  IX 

At  the  Call  of  His  Superior  He  Goes  up  to  Mexico  to  Prepare  for  the 

Missions  of  San  Saba;  But  These  are  not  Realized  for 

Reasons  Which  Will  be  Given. 

F)R  many  years  the  College  of  the  Holy  Cross  of  Quer^taro  cher- 
ished the  intention  of  founding  Missions  among  the  warUke  people 
of  the  Apache  Indians,  but  accomplished  nothing  in  this  direction  be- 
fore the  year  1758,  in  which  His  Majesty,  having  recommended  this 
Conquest  to  the  said  College  of  the  Holy  Cross,  and  to  that  of  San 
Fernando  of  Mexico,  they  both  agreed,  as  they  were  so  closely  related, 
that  for  the  present  two  Missions  should  be  founded,  one  by  each,  under 
the  protection  of  the  garrison  of  one  hundred  men  which  was  about  to 
be  established  on  the  shores  of  the  San  Saba  river,  four  himdred  leagues 
to  the  north  of  Mexico  City.  The  two  Missionaries  assigned  from  our 
College  by  the  Directors  (from  among  those  who  voluntarily  offered 
themselves)  and  who  went  out  were  the  Reverends  Fr.  Joseph  Santi 
Estevan  of  the  Recolecci6n  of  the  Province  of  Burgos  and  the  Convent 
of  Agreda,  and  Fr.  Juan  Andreas  of  the  Recolecci6n  of  Concepci6n. 

They  arrived  in  due  time  at  the  Missions  of  the  river  of  San  An- 
tonio Bejar,  belonging  to  the  College  of  Quer^taro  and  about  sixty 
leagues  from  San  Saba.  Here  they  were  delayed  and  the  second  of  the 
two  Missionaries  was  taken  so  seriously  ill  that  he  could  not  go  on  and 
for  this  reason  when  the  word  reached  the  College  the  Rev.  Fr.  Miguel 
Molina  (of  the  Recolecci6n  of  Valencia)  was  named  and  he  came  on  im- 
mediately as  far  as  the  Missions  of  San  Antonio  where  he  was  told  that 
his  companion  had  already  gone  on  with  the  Father  Fr.  Alonso  Ter- 
reros  of  the  College  of  Quer^taro,  and  so  he  continued  his  journey  to  the 
San  Saba  river. 

When  he  arrived  at  the  place  he  foimd  that  the  two  Fathers  had 
already  begun  the  Mission  of  the  Holy  Cross  on  the  banks  of  the  river, 
three  short  leagues  from  the  garrison  where  they  already  had  a  little 
chapel  and  some  rooms  to  live  in,  but  as  yet  none  of  the  pagans  had 
come  near  them.    About  fifteen  days  after  the  arrival  of  Father  Molina 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  39 

the  Indians  presented  themselves  very  suddenly  and  in  great  numbers, 
there  seeming  to  be  no  less  than  a  thousand  of  them,  ready  for  war, 
painted,  and  armed  with  bows,  lances,  and  firearms  from  which  it  was 
inferred  that  they  belonged  to  the  Comanche  nation  which  has,  or  used 
to  have,  traffic  with  the  French  people  of  New  Orleans  and  from  whom 
they  obtained  arms  in  exchange  for  skins. 

The  Fathers  received  them  with  expressions  of  kindness,  but  the 
pagans,  covering  up  their  evil  intentions,  said  that  they  had  come  to 
make  peace  with  the  Spaniards  and  asked  that  one  of  the  Fathers  go 
with  them  in  order  that  they  might  not  come  to  harm.  When  the  latter 
excused  themselves  saying  that  it  was  not  necessary  and  that  they  would 
send  a  letter  and  that  they  would  be  well  received,  they  were  not  willing 
to  go,  but  insisted  that  one  of  the  Fathers  go  with  them.  In  view  of 
this  Father  Terreros  decided  to  go,  although  he  was  quite  sure  that  he 
was  going  to  his  death,  at  least  when  he  bade  good-bye  to  his  compan- 
ions he  asked  them  to  commend  him  to  God  and  to  commend  them- 
selves also,  as  he  said:  "We  shall  all  shortly  find  ourselves  in  the  other 
life."  When  Father  Santi  Estevan  heard  this,  he  retired  to  a  little 
room  with  his  holy  crucifix  in  his  hand,  but  Father  Molina  remained 
outside  trying  to  conciliate  the  Indians  and  saying  good-bye  to  Fr. 
Alonso.  The  latter  had  gone  scarcely  thirty  paces  from  the  houses 
accompanied  by  the  whole  band,  who  still  pretended  to  be  friendly, 
when  suddenly  a  firearm  was  discharged  and  Father  Terreros  fell 
wounded  to  the  ground.  The  whole  band  of  Indians  rushed  upon 
him  and  put  him  to  death  and  tore  from  him  his  holy  habit. 

When  Father  Molina  saw  this,  that  he  could  not  aid  his  companion 
(for  long  before  he  covdd  reach  him  the  pagans  would  have  done  the 
same  thing  to  him),  he  retired  to  the  building  and  with  him  the  soldier 
who  had  remained,  both  regretting  that  his  companion,  Father  Estevan, 
was  in  the  other  little  house  and  that  they  could  not  be  together.  The 
Indians  forced  their  way  in  where  the  latter  was  and  cut  off  his  head, 
the  blows  being  easily  heard  from  the  other  room  by  Father  Molina. 

As  the  soldier  had  discharged  his  weapon,  the  Indians  did  not  dare 
to  draw  near  to  the  place  but  tried  to  set  the  house  on  fire.  When 
the  Father  saw  the  flames  he  took  from  his  neck  a  wax  Agnus  Dei  and 
throwing  it  upon  the  flames  they  were  as  suddenly  extinguished  as  if 
a  river  had  been  thrown  upon  them.  When  the  pagans  noticed  this 
they  thought  they  might  force  the  door  of  the  room  but  as  many  of  them 


40  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

as  tried  it  either  fell  dead  or  wounded  by  the  soldier,  who  behaved  himself 
with  military  prowess.  The  Indians  also  discharged  their  weapons  and 
a  bullet  penetrated  the  arm  of  the  Father  and  he  lived  carrying  it  there 
for  many  years.  The  valiant  soldier  was  badly  wounded  in  the  legs 
from  the  bullets,  but  even  wounded  as  he  was  he  killed  many  and  de- 
fended the  Father  until  night,  when  the  pagans  retired. 

Seeing  that  he  was  so  seriously  wounded  and  no  longer  with  strength 
either  to  defend  the  Father  or  to  attempt  to  run  away,  and  understand- 
ing that  he  had  but  a  short  time  to  live,  he  insisted  upon  the  Father's 
leaving  him  and  trying  his  fortune  in  getting  away  in  order  to  carry 
the  word  to  the  garrison.  At  the  same  time  he  gave  the  same  charge 
to  his  wife,  telling  her  to  take  with  her  their  little  child,  saying:  "If  you 
remain  you  will  surely  die,  but  if  you  go  away  you  may  perhaps  save 
your  lives." 

The  Father  was  afraid  to  go  out  when  he  saw  that  the  Indians  had 
built  fires  about  in  order  easily  to  discern  what  they  were  doing,  and 
although  he  thought  they  would  kill  him  as  soon  as  they  saw  him,  he 
none  the  less  decided  to  go,  and  trusting  in  God  and  in  the  Most  Holy 
Mary  (whose  Sorrows  Holy  Church  is  wont  to  celebrate  on  that  day) 
he  crawled  out  through  a  window  and  was  enabled  to  pass  between  two 
of  the  bonfires  without  being  seen.  He  threw  himself  into  the  river 
and  floated  down  stream  and  then  made  his  way,  not  by  the  trail  lest 
he  should  be  found,  but  through  the  woods  to  the  garrison  where  he 
arrived  three  days  later,  bleeding  and  fainting  for  lack  of  food,  as 
he  had  had  nothing  to  eat  but  the  raw  herbs  of  the  field  and  had  dared 
to  travel  only  by  night.  He  recuperated  in  the  garrison  and  the  cap- 
tain immediately  sent  out  troops,  but  when  they  arrived  at  the  place  the 
Indians  had  already  gone  away,  after  having  burned  up  everything 
including  the  body  of  the  dead  soldier  who,  as  Father  Molina  himself 
told  me  afterwards  (and  it  was  he  who  told  me  the  whole  of  the  story), 
had  wounded  and  kiUed  no  less  than  forty  of  the  pagans. 

An  account  of  what  had  happened  was  immediately  sent  to  Mexico 
City,  and  the  College,  far  from  losing  heart,  appointed  two  other  Mis- 
sionaries who  were  to  go  forward  and  found  the  Mission.  One  of  those 
named  was  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero,  who  was  at  that  time  among 
his  own  people  in  the  Sierra  Gorda,  and  although  he  had  been  fully  in- 
formed as  to  the  terrible  tragedy  just  related,  he  did  not  excuse  himself 
as  he  well  might  have  done,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  gave  thanks  to  God 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  41 

that  his  Superior  had  named  him  without  first  inquiring  as  to  his  will  in 
the  matter.  As  soon  as  he  received  the  letter  he  started  for  the  College. 
The  Superior  intended  that  his  departure  should  be  almost  imme- 
diate, but  he  afterwards  learned  that  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  had 
dispatched  an  order  to  the  interior  provinces  decreeing  that  a  military 
expedition  should  be  made  for  the  purpose  of  chastising  the  Indians 
and  making  an  example  of  them,  but  the  expedition  did  not  set  out  as 
was  expected  and  very  shortly  afterwards  the  Viceroy  died,  so  that  for 
these  reasons  the  work  of  evangelization  was  suspended,  a  thing  which 
caused  great  sorrow  to  the  zealous  Father  Junipero.  But  he  will  not 
have  lost,  before  God,  the  merit  of  having  voluntarily  offered  himself 
for  such  an  arduous  enterprise  with  the  evident  accompaniment  of 
mortal  danger  at  the  hands  of  those  cruel  and  barbarous  pagans. 


) 


43  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  X 

Occupations  and  Activities  in  the  College  and  in  the  Missions  Where  He 

Went  out  to  Preach. 

THE  founding  of  the  Missions  of  San  Saba  not  having  been  carried 
out  for  the  reasons  expressed  in  the  preceding  chapter,  the  Rev. 
Father  Guardian  did  not  say  anything  further  to  our  Venerable  Fr. 
Junipero  about  his  going  back  to  the  Sierra  Gorda  where  he  had  been 
working,  either  because  he  wanted  to  have  him  at  hand  in  case  the  Gov- 
ernment should  attempt  the  evangelization  of  the  Apaches,  or  because 
the  Superior  hoped  that  the  Venerable  Father  would  say  something  about 
it  himself.  But  our  humble  and  obedient  servant  of  God  never  wished 
to  show  any  inclination  than  that  of  yielding  blindly  (in  order  not  to 
err)  to  the  voice  of  his  Superior  and  to  the  will  of  God  as  expressed 
through  the  will  of  the  Prelate.  He  remained,  therefore,  in  the  College 
,  until  the  year  1767,  in  which  he  was  ordered  sent  to  the  Missions  of  Cali- 
fornia* and  so  it  was  that  for  a  little  more  than  seven  years  he  was  with- 
out any  part  in  the  activities  of  preaching  to  the  pagans,  but  in  this 
time  he  did  very  much  toward  the  conversion  of  sinners  in  giving  Mis- 
sions which  he  conducted  both  in  the  district  of  the  Archbishopric  of 
Mexico  City,  as  well  as  in  four  other  dioceses. 

In  the  capital  of  Mexico  he  preached  two  years  in  the  Missions, 
which  every  third  year  our  College  of  San  Fernando  conducts  with 
great  success,  and  no  small  amount  of  the  fruitage  was  due  to  the  fervent 
sermons  of  the  Venerable  Father.  In  one  of  these,  in  imitation  of  his 
patron,  San  Francisco  Solano,  he  took  out  a  chain,  and  having  let  fall 
his  habit  so  that  his  shoulders  were  bared,  and  after  having  exhorted 
them  all  to  penitence  he  began  to  lash  himself  so  cruelly  that  the  whole 
audience  broke  out  in  sobs,  till,  finally,  one  man  rising  up  hurried  into 
the  pulpit,  took  the  chain  away  from  the  penitent  Father,  came  down 
with  it,  stood  up  on  the  platform  of  the  presbytery,  and  then,  imitating 
the  example  of  the  Venerable  preacher,  he  stripped  himself  to  the  waist 

*  It  must  be  remembered  that  these  were  the  Jesuit  Missions  of  Lower  California, 
there  being  no  Missions  as  yet  in  Alta  California. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  43 

and  began  to  make  public  penance,  saying  with  tears  and  sobs:  "I  am  , 
the  ungrateful  sinner  before  God  who  should  do  penance  and  not  the 
Father,  who  is  a  Saint."  So  unstinted  and  without  compassion  were 
the  blows  that  he  gave  himself  that  he  soon  fell  down  before  all  the  people 
who  judged  that  he  was  dead.  But  having  received  Extreme  Unction 
and  Holy  Commimion  he  died  a  little  later.  Concerning  this  soul,  we 
we  allow  ourselves  to  believe  with  all  pious  faith  that  it  will  enjoy  the 
presence  of  God. 

Outside  of  the  capital  the  Venerable  Father  conducted  several  suc- 
cessftil  Missions  in  the  mining  camp  of  Zimapan  and  its  neighborhood, 
in  many  towns  of  the  Province  of  Mezquital,  in  the  Huasteca,  in  its^ 
capital.  Villa  de  Valles,  Aquismon,  and  in  many  other  places.  He  was 
nine  months  engaged  in  this  work,  seven  of  them  being  spent  in  the 
actual  work  of  preaching  and  hearing  confessions,  the  two  others  being 
spent  in  going  and  coming  on  account  of  the  long  distance  from  Mexico 
City.  The  success  of  the  Missions  was  very  great  because  it  was  forty 
years  since  the  previous  ones  had  been  conducted. 

In  the  diocese  of  La  Puebla  of  the  Angels,  he  conducted  Missions  ^ 
along  the  coast  of  the  Sea  of  the  North,  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  in  Ta- 
buco,  Tuxpan,  Tamiagua,  and  many  other  towns,  about  eighty  leagues 
from  Mexico  City. 

In  the  diocese  of  Antequera,  or  Oaxaca,  he  conducted  Missions  in  h 
many  of  the  towns  at  the  request  of  the  illustrious  Bishop  Buenaven- 
tura Blanco,  beginning  one  hundred  leagues  from  Mexico  on  the  border 
line  of  the  diocese  of  Campeche,  toward  Tabasco,  in  those  towns  of  the 
coast  where  a  Mission  had  never  been  held.  On  his  way  toward  the 
capital  of  Oaxaca,  whither  His  Grace  had  invited  him  to  come,  the  Ven- 
erable Father  had  to  travel  a  week  on  the  great  river  called  Los  Miges 
where  he  had  to  suffer,  together  with  his  companions,  many  hardships 
on  accoimt  of  the  excessive  heat,  the  annoyance  of  the  flies,  and  the 
danger  from  alligators,  without  being  able  to  disembark  from  the  canoe 
on  account  of  the  tigers  and  lions,  snakes  and  other  poisonous  creatures 
which  abound  in  those  regions  and  for  which  reason  the  country  is 
sparsely  inhabited. 

After  a  week  of  such  dangerous  and  annoying  navigation  he  had  to 
travel  by  land  under  similar  difficulties  as  far  as  ViUa-alta,  a  distance 
of  about  a  hundred  leagues  from  Mexico.  Here  the  Venerable  Father 
conducted  a  Mission  and  then  went  on  to  the  city  of  Antequera  where 


44  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

His  Grace,  the  Bishop,  was  expecting  him.  He  arrived  there  in  Febru- 
ary, and  having  given  notice  of  his  intention,  began  a  Mission  which 
lasted  all  through  Lent,  resulting  in  innumerable  conversions  due  to  his 
Apostolic  labors.  This  brought  great  comfort  to  the  heart  of  that  most 
zealous  Prelate,  who  had  our  Venerable  Fr.  Junipero  preach  behind 
closed  doors  to  all  the  clergy,  while  his  companions  were  working  among 
the  people.  From  this  preaching  abimdant  fruit  was  obtained,  espe- 
cially because  the  illustrious  Bishop  had  granted  to  the  Fathers  the 
right  to  perform  the  marriage  ceremony  for  those  who  needed  it 
and  who,  living  illicitly,  had  passed  themselves  off  for  married  people, 
of  whom  there  were  a  great  many,  both  in  the  capital  and  in  the  other 
towns,  so  that  the  work  lasted  here  six  months.  When  it  was  finished 
the  Fathers  returned  to  the  College  where  they  arrived  after  an  absence 
of  eight  months,  due  to  the  long  distances  traveled.  All  this  traveling 
the  Venerable  Father  had  accomplished  on  foot  notwithstanding  the 
ulcer  and  the  swelling  from  which  he  suffered. 

In  the  diocese  of  Valladolid  he  conducted  a  Mission  in  Rio  Verde 
(one  hundred  leagues  from  Mexico),  the  headquarters  of  the  Custody 
of  Santa  Catalina  and  adjacent  towns,  and  finally  in  the  diocese  of 
Guadalajara,  while  on  his  way  with  his  Companions  for  these  Calif omias. 
And  when  detained  in  the  port  of  San  Bias  waiting  for  the  ship,  they 
preached  in  the  towns  of  Tepic,  Jalisco,  Compostela,  Mazatlan,  San 
Jos^,  Guaynamotas,  and  other  neighboring  places  in  the  same  jurisdic- 
tion where  he  was  blessed  with  the  conversion  of  innimierable  sinners, 
not  sparing  himself  any  fatigue  to  accomplish  these  results. 

It  is  no  small  labor  to  conduct  a  Mission  among  believers,  as  at  least 
six  months  of  continuous  preaching  and  hearing  the  confessions  must  be 
employed  between  the  first  and  the  last  sermon,  without  any  other  rest 
than  the  time  necessary  to  walk  to  the  field  from  the  College  and  from 
one  town  to  another  until  returning  again  to  it.  And  if  we  are  to  count 
up  the  ntimber  of  leagues  traveled  by  the  Venerable  Fr.  Junipero  in 
^  these  labors,  there  will  surely  be  not  less  than  two  thousand.  These 
tasks  of  his  were  greatly  increased  when  the  Patent  or  Title  was  given 
to  him  in  the  year  1752  of  ''Commissioner  of  the  Holy  Office,"  and 
with  which  he  was  honored  by  the  Holy  Tribunal  of  the  Faith,  the  Patent 
being  made  to  include  in  its  jurisdiction  all  of  New  Spain  and  ad- 
jacent islands.  For  this  cause  he  was  called  upon  to  labor  in  many 
different  places  and  to  travel  a  great  number  of  leagues,  fulfilling  every 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  45 

one  of  the  duties  he  was  called  upon  to  perform  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
Inquisitors,  and  who  regarded  him  not  only  as  a  wise  minister  but  as  a 
most  zealous  one  in  his  defense  of  the  Catholic  Faith  and  religion. 

In  the  intervals  between  one  Mission  and  another  (according  to  the-^^' 
disposition  of  the  Apostolic  Bull,  after  finishing  a  period  of  six  months 
of  preaching  among  Catholics  the  Fathers  were  supposed  to  return  to 
the  Convent  in  order  to  recuperate  their  spiritual  and  physical  forces) 
our  servant  of  God  always  returned  to  the  College  where  he  attended 
with  great  punctuality  the  services  of  the  choir  both  by  day  and  night, 
and  not  being  satisfied  with  the  almost  six  hours  which  are  employed 
in  the  recital  of  the  Divine  Office  and  mental  prayer,  he  was  never 
absent  from  the  voluntary  exercises  of  the  Rosary,  Via  Crucis  (The 
Way  of  the  Cross),  Via  Dolorosa,  etc. 

He  was  also  very  punctual  in  the  annual  Retreats  of  the  Order, 
observing  to  the  letter  the  practices  which  our  Venerable  Father  Fr. 
Antonio  Linaz  had  left  us.  For  a  period  of  three  years  he  was  assigned  ' 
to  the  position  of  Master  of  the  Novices,  but  this  did  not  hinder  his 
going  out  to  preach  to  the  Christian  towns,  as  there  was  some  one  to 
supply  his  place  as  teacher  diiring  his  absence;  and  if,  as  we  have  said 
in  Chapter  III  of  this  history,  our  Venerable  Father  very  willingly  at- 
tended all  the  exercises  of  the  novices,  what  a  chance  is  offered  to  our 
imagination  when  we  consider  how  much  his  fervor  must  have  shone 
forth  when  called  upon  to  act  as  their  teacher! 

Another  period  of  three  years  he  acted  as  Discreto  of  the  College,  X 
although  this  did  not  hinder  him  from  his  duties  as  a  Missionary.  In 
these  three  years  dtuing  the  time  that  he  was  in  the  College  he  acted  ^ 
as  Vicar  of  the  choir  at  the  request  of  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian  because 
in  that  position  he  was  not  called  upon  to  sing  so  very  much.  This 
position  he  filled  with  great  pleasure  and  humility,  as  he  always  re- 
gretted that  his  voice  would  not  permit  him  to  be  of  further  service  in  the 
singing.  Many  days  he  was  the  reader  at  the  table  and  woiild  rise  in 
the  middle  of  the  meal  in  order  to  take  the  place  of  the  chorister  or 
novice  who  was  reading.  On  other  occasions  he  took  the  place  of  those 
who  served  as  if  he  were  himself  a  novice  and  would  wait  upon  the 
tables.  Whenever  he  was  not  occupied  in  the  choir  the  time  was  spent 
in  the  confessional  where  he  used  to  hear  the  confessions  of  as  many 
of  the  poor  people  as  chose  to  come  to  his  feet.  He  did  the  same  in  the 
Convents  of  the  Sisters,  both  of  the  same  Order  and  of  other  Orders,  and 


46  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

wherever  any  afflicted  and  conscientious  souls  asked  for  help  and  for 
comfort;  and  while  he  was  very  strict  with  himself  he  always  showed 
himself  very  kind  and  benignant  toward  others,  thus  revealing  the  sin- 
cerity of  his  heart. 

He  was  completely  detached  from  the  world  and  from  seculars,  even 
to  such  a  degree  that  in  a  city  as  populous  as  is  Mexico  and  so  given  to 
honoring  the  Missionaries  who  work  there  for  their  spiritual  good  and 
where  there  are  so  many  people  of  all  sorts  going  to  confession  and  so 
many  who  had  sought  for  the  Venerable  Father  to  help  them  out  of 
their  spiritual  or  moral  doubts,  there  was  no  person  whom  he  was  ac- 
customed to  visit  and  when  any  one  needed  him  and  would  come  to  the 
College  for  his  consolation,  if  they  did  not  find  him,  they  knew  that  he 
had  gone  away  to  preach  a  Mission. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  47 


CHAPTER  XI 

Particular  Incidents   Which   Took  Place  in  the  Missions  Among  the 

Faithful. 

ONE  time  while  he  was  conducting  a  Mission  in  the  Province  of  the 
Huasteca,  there  were  many  of  the  townspeople  where  he  preached 
who  did  not  come  to  hear  the  word  of  God,  giving  one  excuse  or  another 
to  explain  their  negligence.  After  the  Fathers  had  gone  on  to  another 
town  to  continue  their  preaching,  an  epidemic  broke  out  in  the  place 
first  visited,  from  which  sixty  of  the  people  died;  the  rest  got  well.  The 
parish  priest  discovered  that  only  those  had  died  who  had  not  attended 
the  Mission  and  this  he  communicated  by  writing  to  Father  Junipero 
who  was  the  President  of  the  Mission.  This  nmior  of  the  sickness  was 
spread  abroad  and  as  it  happened  that  the  epidemic  followed  so  close 
upon  the  closing  of  the  first  Mission,  the  people  of  the  other  town  were 
much  frightened  and  showed  very  little  willingness  to  attend  the  serv- 
ices and  were  quite  angry  at  their  parish  priests  for  having  admitted 
them.  But  when  they  knew  that  only  those  had  died  who  had  failed 
to  hear  the  sermons,  they  attended  the  services  with  great  regularity. 
Not  only  did  the  townspeople,  but  also  those  from  the  farms  and  ranches 
which  were  a  long  distance  from  the  county  seat,  attend  these  meetings. 
There  was  one  fellow  who  said  that  he  had  not  seen  a  church  or  a  priest, 
nor  had  he  heard  Mass  or  a  sermon  in  eighteen  years,  and  this  might  be 
true,  because  it  was  forty  years  since  the  previous  Mission  had  been 
conducted  in  that  country.  In  all  these  towns  a  great  deal  of  fruit 
was  gathered  for  God  who  in  this  way  abundantly  rewarded  the  labors 
of  his  servant  Fr.  Junipero  and  his  Companions. 

Having  finished  their  Apostolic  labors,  the  Missionaries  were  on 
their  way  back  to  the  College  and  at  the  close  of  one  of  the  days  of 
travel  the  sun  began  to  set  before  they  reached  a  place  where  they  could 
pass  the  night.  This  they  thought  they  would  have  to  do  in  the  open 
field,  and  they  were  thinking  about  it  when  they  happened  to  see,  a 
little  ahead  of  them,  a  house  near  the  road.  When  they  had  gone  in  to 
ask  for  lodging  they  found  there  a  venerable  old  man  with  his  wife  and 


48  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

a  child  who  very  gladly  gave  them  hospitality  and  provided  them  with  a 
supper  which  was  noticeably  neat  and  served  with  affection.  When  the 
Fathers  had  bidden  them  good-bye  the  next  morning  and  thanked  their 
benefactors  they  went  on  their  way.  They  had  not  gone  far  before 
they  met  some  muleteers  who  asked  them  where  they  had  spent  the 
night  before.  On  telling  them  that  it  was  in  the  house  by  the  side  of 
the  road,  the  mtileteers  asked,  *'What  house?"  And  when  they  told 
them,  the  muleteers  replied:  "In  all  the  road  which  you  went  over 
yesterday  there  is  no  house  nor  ranch,  not  even  within  leagues  of  the 
road."  The  Fathers  were  much  astonished  and  stood  looking  one  at 
another,  but  the  muleteers  again  affirmed  the  same  thing,  saying  there 
was  no  such  house  by  the  road.  The  Missionaries  therefore  considered 
that  it  was  due  to  the  Divine  Providence  that  they  had  been  favored 
with  that  night's  lodging  and  that,  without  doubt,  those  who  lived  there 
must  have  been  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph,  a  fact  which  was  reflected  not 
only  in  the  cleanliness  and  neatness  of  the  house,  in  spite  of  its  poverty 
and  the  affection  with  which  they  were  lodged  and  entertained,  but  also 
in  the  inner  extraordinary  consolation  which  their  hearts  had  felt. 
They,  therefore,  gave  all  due  thanks  to  God  our  Lord  for  the  special 
benefit  which  they  had  received  and  their  faith  was  greatly  revived  by 
the  thought  that  the  Divine  Providence  had  not  been  withdrawn  from 
them,  as  indeed  they  had  seen  it  fulfilled  to  them  during  the  thirty-two 
days  of  the  journey  from  Huasteca  to  the  College. 

In  one  of  the  above  mentioned  towns  in  which  the  Venerable  Father 
conducted  a  Mission  he  realized  in  his  own  person  the  fulfilment  of  that 
promise  which  Jesus  Christ  had  given  to  the  Apostles  and  of  which  the 
Evangelist  St.  Mark  speaks  in  Chapter  XVI,  Verse  i8.  Si  mortiferum 
quid  biberint,  non  eis  nocebit.  (If  ye  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  will  do 
you  no  harm.)  While  our  servant  of  God  was  celebrating  Mass,  it 
seemed  to  him  as  he  drank  from  the  chalice  as  though  some  heavy 
weight  had  fallen  into  his  stomach,  as  if  it  were  lead.  It  was  so  painful 
that  it  upset  his  stomach  and  almost  choked  him.  However,  he  pre- 
pared the  wine  for  the  purification,  but  it  would  have  been  impossible 
for  him  to  have  taken  it  as  he  became,  almost  immediately,  quite  choked 
and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  prompt  assistance  of  those  who  accom- 
panied him  in  the  celebration  of  the  Mass  the  Venerable  Father  would 
have  fallen  to  the  ground.  They  carried  him  immediately  into  the 
vestry  and  there  taking  off  the  vestments  they  put  him  to  bed,  beHeving 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  40 

from  what  they  had  learned  of  the  case  that  some  one  had  put  poison 
in  the  wine  cup  in  order  to  take  his  life. 

As  soon  as  a  certain  Spanish  gentleman  from  Asturia,  a  citizen  of  the 
place  and  who  was  very  fond  of  the  friars,  heard  of  what  had  happened 
he  came  to  the  Convent  bringing  with  him  a  very  well  known  antidote 
and  asked  the  Father  to  take  it,  as  he  said  it  was  very  efficient  for  this 
purpose.  The  Venerable  Father  fastened  his  eyes  on  what  they  were 
bringing  to  him  in  the  glass,  but,  shaking  his  head  and  smiling,  he  gave 
them  to  understand  that  he  did  not  wish  to  take  it.  After  the  good 
brother  had  been  asked  to  retire  they  asked  him  if  he  would  take  some 
oil  in  order  to  provoke  vomiting  and  when  he  assented  to  this  by  nodding 
his  head  they  gave  it  to  him,  and  immediately  after  he  was  able  to 
articulate  a  few  words  which  were  the  same  as  those  which  we  have 
cited  from  St.  Mark.  The  oil  did  not  produce  any  nausea  nor  did  he 
vomit  but  it  made  him  well,  either  because  of  the  strength  of  the  remedy 
(as  some  people  claim,  saying  that  the  oil  coimteracts  the  corrosive  acids 
of  the  poison)  or  because  of  the  faith  of  the  Venerable  Patient.  The 
truth  of  the  matter  is  that  that  same  morning  he  went  to  the  church  to 
hear  confession  the  same  as  if  nothing  had  happened  and  as  it  was  his 
turn  to  preach  he  did  so  on  that  day  as  well  as  the  next. 

When  the  good  brother  saw  that  the  Reverend  Father  was  well  he 
came  to  see  him  and  after  expressing  his  good  wishes  he  said  in  a  tone  of 
complaint:  "Is  it  possible,  my  good  Father  Junipero,  that  you  wished 
to  insult  me  by  not  taking  my  medicine,  which  is  so  very  efficacious 
against  poison?"  **In  truth,  dear  brother,"  he  replied,  "it  was  not 
that  I  wanted  to  offend  you  or  that  I  doubted  the  strength  of  the  remedy 
or  felt  any  repugnance  about  it,  for  in  any  other  circumstance  I  should 
probably  have  taken  it;  but  I  had  just  eaten  of  the  Bread  of  Angels, 
which,  because  of  the  consecration,  had  ceased  to  be  bread  and  had  be- 
come the  Body  of  my  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  How  then  would  you  have  me 
take  so  repulsive  a  drink  after  having  taken  into  my  mouth  such  divine 
food?  I  immediately  knew  what  your  drink  was  composed  of,  although 
it  was  brought  to  me  in  such  a  clean  glass."  The  gentleman  then  con- 
fessed the  truth,  how  that  he  himself,  not  trusting  any  one  else,  had 
diluted  the  molasses  (for  such  indeed  was  the  only  ingredient  of  which 
that  unclean  drink  was  concocted)  and  so  he  was  reassured  in  his  faith 
as  well  as  more  fully  confirmed  as  to  the  piety  of  the  Venerable  Father. 

In  the  great  Mission  journey  which,  with  five  companions,  he  had 


50  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

conducted  in  the  diocese  of  Oaxaca,  among  the  many  fruits  which  were 
there  gathered  there  should  be  noted  the  very  singular  conversion  of  a 
woman  in  the  city  of  Antequera,  capital  of  the  diocese.  She  was  living 
in  illicit  relations  with  a  rich  and  powerful  man  since  the  time  she  was 
fourteen  years  old.  As  he  had  acquired  a  great  and  blind  affection  for 
her  and  was  not  able  to  make  her  his  wife  because  he  had  been  married 
in  Spain,  he  took  her  to  his  house  and  she  lived  with  him  as  if  she  were 
his  own  wife  and  was  reputed  as  such  by  all  the  people  of  that  city.  In 
this  unhappy  condition  they  lived  together  for  fourteen  years.  The 
report  of  the  Mission  came  to  the  ears  of  the  woman  and  the  fact  that 
many  were  being  converted  to  God  and  that  the  Fathers  were  to  come  to 
that  city  to  preach  there.  These  rumors  were  the  voices  with  which 
God  touched  the  heart  of  this  sinful  woman  and  she  was  not  unmindful 
of  them  and  immediately  attempted  to  find  a  way  to  separate  herself 
from  so  evil  a  relationship  and  to  return  to  the  path  of  obedience.  She 
communicated  her  desire  to  her  companion  in  sin  but  he  at  once  tried 
to  dissuade  her,  saying  that  she  ought  not  to  worry  herself  about  that 
and  threatening  her  that  if  she  did  leave  him  he  would  do  something 
dreadful,  that  he  would  either  kill  her  or  that  he  would  take  his  own  life. 

The  Mission  reached  the  city  at  a  time  when  the  people  were  not 
expecting  it,  but  His  Lordship,  the  Bishop,  when  he  heard  that  it  was 
the  purpose  of  the  Mission  to  enter  the  city  on  the  night  of  Quinqua- 
gesima  Simday  (the  Sunday  preceding  Lent)  in  order  to  prevent  the 
many  scandals  which  ordinarily  the  people  commit  during  those  days 
of  the  carnival,  he  replied  to  the  Missionaries  that  with  great  joy  he 
would  receive  them,  and  that  it  seemed  best  to  him  that  they  should  not 
announce  their  coming  (in  accordance  with  what  they  themselves  had 
reqiiested),  in  order  that  the  people  might  be  taken  entirely  by  surprise. 

The  six  Missionaries  entered  the  city  without  making  any  noise  and 
distributing  themselves,  two  by  two,  in  different  parts  of  the  city,  and 
raising  the  Standard  of  the  Holy  Cross,  they  began  the  assavdt,  using  as 
their  weapons  a  great  abundance  of  pious  ejaculations  which  were- 
interspersed  with  fervent  admonitions  and  calls  for  repentance.  All  the 
people  were  so  overcome  by  emotion  that,  leaving  their  houses  and 
crowding  into  the  streets,  they  all  followed  the  Fathers  to  the  cathedral. 
There  they  were  invited  to  come  to  hear  the  introductory  sermon  and 
the  announcements  concerning  the  Mission.  Then  they  all  retired  to 
their  homes  much  wrought  up  and  weeping. 

One  of  these  pious  ejaculations  which  one  of  the  Missionaries  had 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  51 

hurled  at  his  hearers  penetrated  to  the  heart  of  this  sinftil  woman  so 
that  she  seemed  as  it  were  transfixed  by  it,  if  we  are  to  judge  by  the 
great  grief  which  she  felt  and  the  desire  to  be  truly  converted  to  God. 
She  prepared  for  confession,  and  having  been  examined,  came  to  the 
feet  of  the  Venerable  Father  Fr.  Jtmipero.  She  told  him  of  the  life  she 
had  led  and  of  the  purpose  she  had  formed  to  leave  such  a  dangerous 
relationship  and  companion.  The  zealous  Father,  after  he  had  heard 
her  general  confession,  encouraged  her  greatly  and  charged  her  to  look 
for  a  house  where  she  might  live.  This  she  did,  but  the  man,  blinded 
by  his  passion,  used  all  the  means  he  could  command  to  bring  her  back 
to  the  old  relationship,  but  she  remained  firm  in  her  purpose,  fre- 
quenting the  Holy  Sacraments  and  steadfastly  rejecting  the  seductions, 
promises  and  threats  that  he  would  hang  himself.  She  remained  firm 
in  her  spirit  of  repentance  and  communicated  everjrthing  to  the  Ven- 
erable Confessor,  stating  that  she  did  not  consider  that  she  was  safe  in 
the  house  where  she  was,  so  that  the  servant  of  God,  to  save  her  from 
this  danger,  secured  for  her  another  house,  with  a  devout  woman,  one  of 
the  leading  persons  of  the  city,  who  received  her  with  special  pleasure. 

The  man  then  tried  to  get  her  out  of  this  house,  but  when  he  found 
that  was  impossible,  one  night,  in  his  despair,  he  took  a  rope  and  going 
with  it  to  the  house,  he  hanged  himself  from  the  iron  bars  of  the  window, 
delivering  up  his  soul  to  the  demons.  At  that  very  moment  in  which  he 
was  dangling  there  the  city  was  shaken  by  a  great  earthquake  which 
frightened  everybody.  The  next  morning  the  body  of  the  miserable 
creature  was  foimd  hanging  from  the  bars,  and  caused  a  general  feeling 
of  horror  and  alarm.  This,  of  course,  affected  most  noticeably  the 
converted  woman  who,  when  she  saw  the  spectacle  (in  imitation  of  St. 
Margaret  of  Cortona),  cut  off  her  hair,  dressed  herself  in  sackcloth,  and 
walked  through  the  streets  of  Antequera,  crying  out,  and  asking  for  the 
pardon  of  her  sins  and  of  the  unholy  life  that  she  had  lived.  All  were 
edified  and  wrought  up  in  no  small  degree  at  the  sight  of  such  a  strange 
conversion  and  penitence,  and  were  none  the  less  mindful  of  the  divine 
judgment  in  view  of  the  punishment  which  came  upon  that  imhappy 
man.  For  this  cause  innumerable  conversions  were  obtained,  and  there- 
fore much  fruit  was  gathered  as  a  result  of  the  Mission. 

I  might  relate  many  other  incidents,  but  the  long  narrative  of  the 
last  labors  in  the  life  of  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  (in  which  this 
Apostolic  man  spared  nothing  to  make  them  a  success)  is  calling  to  me 
and  does  not  permit  me  to  linger  for  the  recital  of  these  minor  incidents. 


52  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XII 

The  Journey  to  California  with  Fifteen  Missionaries  to  Work  There. 

.  ^T^HE  Holy  Company  of  Jesus  was  suppressed  in  New  Spain  on  the 
-■-  25th  of  June  of  the  year  1767.  The  Missions  which  these  expelled 
Fathers  had  administered  in  Lower  California  were  recommended  by 
His  Excellency  the  Viceroy,  the  Marquis  de  Croix  (in  accord  with  the 
Illustrious,  Lord  Inspector-General*  of  the  Kingdom,  Don  Jos^  de  Galvez) 
to  the  College  of  San  Fernando  of  Mexico.  The  College  felt  itself  under 
obligations  to  accept  the  charge  in  the  name  of  God  and  the  King  (al- 
though it  was  at  the  time  lacking  in  friars)  and  to  send  at  once  to  Spain 
for  a  competent  number  of  Missionaries. 

There  had  been  sixteen  Jesuit  Fathers  in  Lower  California  and  an 
eqlial  number  were  to  go  out  to  replace  them.  But  as  the  Government 
had  planned  to  put  secular  priests  into  four  of  the  most  advanced 
Missions,  the  officials  asked  our  Rev.  Father  Guardian  for  only  twelve 
friars  to  go  out.  The  latter  announced  a  call  to  the  community  and 
invited  all  to  volunteer  who  had  the  heart  for  so  arduous  an  enterprise, 
and  he  soon  had  the  required  nimiber  of  Missionaries,  who  offered 
themselves  voluntarily. 

At  this  time  our  Rev.  Fr.  Junipero  was  conducting  a  Mission  in  the 
.,  Province  of  Mesquital,  about  thirty  leagues  distant  from  Mexico. 
The  Guardian  chose  him  to  be  the  President  of  the  group  of  Mission- 
aries, but  the  need  of  haste  in  starting  did  not  leave  him  time  to  inquire 
first  if  he  was  willing  to  go,  so,  reljdng  on  his  well-known  fervor  and  spirit 
of  obedience  (the  least  insinuation  he  had  always  taken  as  a  direct  com- 
mand), he  simply  wrote  to  him  asking  him  to  return  at  once  to  the  Col- 
lege. This  he  did,  arriving  on  the  12th  of  July,  and  as  soon  as  he  had 
received  the  blessing  of  the  Reverend  Fr.  Guardian,  he  was  informed 
that  he  had  been  named  as  one  who  was  to  accompany  the  other  friars, 
assigned  by  the  Discretory,  to  California.     The  servant  of  God  accepted 

•While  " Visitador-General "  might  be  translated  Visitor-General,  the  term  is 
misleading  in  English,  hence  at  Father  Englehardt's  suggestion  I  use  "Inspector- 
General"  instead. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  53 

the  appointment  and  with  greater  comfort  of  soul  than  any  of  the  others, 
because  he  had  not  been  asked  even  to  say:  "Ecce  ego,  mitte  m^,"  but 
had  been  ordered  to  go  by  the  Prelate  without  being  asked  as  to  his  wish 
in  the  matter. 

His  Excellency  the  Viceroy  had  prepared  all  the  equipment  neces- 
sary for  the  journey  by  land  of  two  hundred  leagues  to  the  port  of 
San  Bias,  so  that  the  Fathers  would  have  some  degree  of  comfort  and 
would  be  provided  against  sickness  on  so  long  a  journey  through  a  hot 
coimtry  in  the  rainy  season.  His  Excellency  sent  word  to  the  Rev. 
Fr.  Guardian  that  the  Missionaries  should  be  ready  to  start  by  the  four- 
teenth of  the  month  of  July  of  the  year  1767.  The  day  came  to  bid 
farewell  to  the  Community,  and  when  the  Prelate  came  to  pronounce 
his  blessing,  he  could  hardly  contain  himself  on  account  of  all  our  tears 
and  his.  "You  go,"  he  said,  ''Fathers  and  beloved  Brethren,  with  the 
blessing  of  God  and  with  that  of  Our  Holy  Father,  St.  Francis,  to  work  in 
that  mystic  vineyard  of  California  which  otu*  Catholic  Monarch  has 
confided  to  us.  Go,  and  go  comforted  with  the  thought  that  you  have 
as  your  Superior  the  good  Father  Fr.  Junipero,  whom  by  this  Patent  I 
name  as  the  President  over  Your  Reverences  and  of  all  those  Missions, 
and  I  have  nothing  more  to  say  to  you  than  that  you  should  give  to 
him  the  same  faithful  allegiance  you  would  give  to  me,  and  I  also  ask 
that  you  continue  to  commend  me  to  God."  Here  his  voice  was  choked 
with  the  flood  of  tears  which  rained  from  his  eyes,  and  delivering  the 
Patent  into  the  hand  of  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero,  the  latter  re- 
ceived it  with  all  humility,  without  being  able  to  speak  a  single  word  for 
the  many  tears  he  was  shedding.  The  grief  was  the  greater  because  we 
all  felt  that  that  good-bye  was  for  eternity,  so,  kissing  the  hand  of  our 
Reverend  Father  Guardian,  we  went  out  on  that  day  (on  which  is  %h- 
served  the  feast  of  San  Buenaventura)  accompanied  by  the  rest  of  the 
friars  as  far  as  the  gate,  where  we  foimd  the  whole  square  filled  with  i 
people  who  had  come  to  see  us  set  out. 

The  journey  to  Tepic  lasted  thirty-nine  days,  counting  the  few  spent 
in  Quer^taro  and  Guadalajara.  Here  we  learned  from  His  Grace  the 
Bishop  that  he  had  no  priests  for  California  and  also  that  none  of  the 
Missions  was  in  condition  to  be  ruled  by  secular  priests  and  that  he  had 
communicated  the  fact  to  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy.  Our  President, 
the  Venerable  Father,  also  wrote  to  the  Venerable  Guardian  asking  that 
his  company  be  reinforced  with  more  friars.     This  was  done  and  the 


54  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

number  of  sixteen  was  completed  and  all  were  gathered  in  the  Convent  of 
the  Holy  Cross  de  Zacate  in  the  above  mentioned  town  of  Tepic  which 
is  sustained  by  the  Province  of  Jalisco  of  the  Regular  Observance  of  Our 
Holy  Father  St.  Francis. 

When  the  Venerable  Father  President  arrived,  on  the  21st  of  August, 
he  learned  from  the  commander  of  the  troop  there  stationed,  from  which 
a  detachment  was  to  be  sent  to  California  and  Sonora,  that  the  departure 
must  be  further  delayed  because  of  the  time  needed  to  finish  construct- 
ing the  two  packet-boats  intended  to  convey  the  whole  party  to  Califor- 
nia and  Sonora.  We  were  therefore  obliged  to  remain  in  the  town  of 
Tepic  for  a  time  and  were  entertained  at  royal  expense. 

The  fervent  zeal  of  the  Reverend  Fr.  Junipero  could  not  allow  so 
many  friars  as  we  were  there  gathered  to  remain  idle  and  lose  time  which 
might  be  employed  in  the  conversion  of  soiils.  So  as  soon  as  we  had 
rested  from  the  journey,  he  ordered  that  we  conduct  Missions  in  the 
neighborhood  of  San  Bias,  scattering  ourselves  about  among  the  towns 
which  have  already  been  mentioned  in  a  preceding  chapter.  In  these 
exercises  we  were  all  employed  until  the  beginning  of  March  of  the  year 
1768,  when  we  embarked,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  succeeding  chapter. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  55 


CHAPTER  XIII 

All  the  Missionaries  Embark.      What  Happened  to  his  Reverence 
on  his  Arrival  in  California. 

THE  day  came  at  last  on  which  we  were  to  embark  on  the  packet- 
boat  "Concepcion'^  which  had  been  at  anchor  in  the  port  of  San 
Bias  since  February,  when  it  had  arrived,  bringing  from  Lower  Califor- 
nia the  sixteen  Jesuit  Fathers,  and  in  which  we  set  sail  on  the  12th  of 
March  of  the  same  year,  1768,  having  gone  on  board  the  night  before. 
We  were  sixteen  Missionaries  from  our  College  of  San  Fernando  and  of  » 
this  Seraphic  and  Apostolic  Squadron  the  Venerable  Fr.  Junipero  Serra 
was  the  Commander.  The  trip  was  made  without  incident,  and  we 
anchored  in  the  roadstead  of  Loreto  on  the  night  of  April  ist,  which  was  1^ 
in  that  year  Good  Friday,  and  on  the  next  day,  Holy  Saturday,  we  went 
ashore.  Before  scattering  each  one  to  the  Mission  to  which  we  were 
severally  assigned  by  the  Venerable  President,  he  ordered  that  we  first 
celebrate  together  the  first  three  days  of  Easter  Week  with  a  High 
Mass  in  honor  of  Our  Lady  of  Loreto,  patron  of  that  Peninsula,  as  a 
thanksgiving  for  our  safe  voyage  by  sea  and  to  implore  her  protection 
for  the  journey  by  land  (which  for  the  greater  number  would  not  be 
less  than  one  hundred  leagues),  and  on  which  we  set  out  on  the  6th  of 
April. 

When  we  had  severally  arrived  at  our  destinations,  we  all  tried  to 
put  into  force  the  same  order  and  government  which  had  already  been 
observed  there  in  accordance  with  the  orders  received  from  His  Excel- 
lency the  Viceroy,  so  as  not  to  alter  in  any  way  the  situation  until  His 
Honor  Don  Jos6  de  Galvez  could  arrive. 

This  gentleman  embarked  from  the  port  of  San  Bias  on  the  24th  of 
May,  but  the  vessel  was  so  much  delayed  in  her  voyage  that  he  did  not 
arrive  on  the  peninsula  until  the  6th  of  July  when  he  reached  Ensenada 
de  Cerralvo,  in  the  southern  part  of  [Lower]  California,  and  there  es- 
tablished a  camp  in  a  place  called  Santa  Anna,  one  hundred  leagues 
distant  from  the  garrison  of  Loreto.  He  was  under  orders  not  only  to 
visit  the  peninsula  of  California  but  also  to  dispatch  a  royal  expedition 


%'~'^:,\  »;^-^ 


56  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

by  sea  in  order  to  colonize  the  port  of  Monterey  or  at  least  that  of  San 
Diego. 

On  being  informed  as  to  the  condition  of  the  Missions  and  of  the 
situation  of  the  most  northerly  of  them,  it  seemed  to  His  Honor  that  he 
could  best  realize  the  purpose  of  His  Majesty  if  two  expeditions  were 
made,  one  by  sea  and  one  by  land,  that  those  going  out  from  the  last 
Mission  shoiild  search  for  the  harbor  of  San  Diego  and  there  imite  with 
the  sea  expedition  in  the  establishing  of  the  colony. 

His  Honor  communicated  this  well-studied  plan  to  our  Venerable 
Father  (writing  him  from  his  camp  at  Santa  Anna),  and  Father  Junipero 
replied  that  he  thought  the  plan  a  good  one  and  that  he  was  ready  to  go 
in  person  with  either  of  the  expeditions  as  well  as  to  send  a  sufficient 
number  of  Missionaries  to  carry  it  out.  Taking  for  granted  that  the  In- 
spector-General would  accept  the  proposition,  he  immediately  set  out  to 
visit  the  Missions  nearest  to  Loreto  in  order  to  invite  the  Fathers  to  the 
meeting  and  he  also  sent  written  invitations  to  those  who  were  at  a 
greater  distance.  In  this  trip  our  good  Father  walked  more  than  one 
himdred  leagues. 

When  he  returned  from  his  journey  he  found  there  the  answer  from 
Don  Jos^  de  Galvez  in  which  that  gentleman  thanked  him  for  his  fervent 
zeal  and  his  ready  response,  and  requested  that  he  come  down  to  the 
camp  at  Santa  Anna  or  to  the  port  of  La  Paz,  where  he  would  find  him, 
as  he  much  desired  to  go  over  with  him  the  whole  matter  of  the  expedi- 
tions. He  immediately  set  out  on  the  journey  which,  going  and  coming, 
is  more  than  two  hundred  leagues,  and  if  we  add  the  other  one  hundred 
leagues  which  he  had  traveled  in  visiting  the  three  Missions  of  the 
south,  it  makes  a  total  of  three  hundred  leagues  which  the  Venerable 
Father  traveled.  He  there  took  up  the  matter  of  the  expeditions  with 
the  governor  and  they  agreed  that  with  the  packet-boats  should  go  three 
Missionaries,  one  on  the  first  to  sail  and  two  later,  and  that  two  should 
go  by  land,  one  with  the  first  caravan,  and  the  Venerable  Father  Presi- 
dent with  the  second,  accompanying  the  Commander  Governor,  who  was 
to  take  charge  of  it. 

They  determined  to  found  three  Missions,  one  in  the  port  of  San 
Diego,  another  in  that  of  Monterey  with  the  name  of  San  Carlos,  and  the 
remaining  Mission  iinder  the  name  of  San  Buenaventura,  half  way  be- 
tween the  two  ports.  Having  agreed  upon  this  they  set  to  work  to 
arrange  the  vestments,  sacred  vessels  and  other  necessary  equipment  for 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  57 

church  and  vestry,  as  also  the  things  necessary  for  house  and  field,  in 
order  that  all  might  go  in  boxes  by  sea,  and  that  the  other  things  might 
be  furnished  and  sent  by  land  from  Loreto.     In  view  of  these  arrange- 
ments which  were  very  pleasing  to  the  Venerable  Father  and  quite  in 
accord  with  his  desires,  he  then  named  the  Fathers  who  were  to  go  by  ^ 
sea  and  sent  word  to  them  to  come  down  to  the  port  of  La  Paz,  and  to 
Cape  San  Lucas  (which  they  did)  and  His  Honor,  the  Inspector-General,  j 
helped  personally  in  making  these  arrangements,  doing  the  work  of  a/|, 
common  laborer. 

_-As  soon  as^he  ships  arrived  from  San  Bias,  the  first  one  being  the 
"San  Carlos,"  which  anchored  in  the  above  mentioned  port  of  La  Paz, 
and  the  *'  San  Antonio,"  formerly  called  "El  Principe,"  which  on  account 
of  contrary  winds  had  to  anchor  at  Cape  San  Lucas,  His  Honor  made  a 
thorough  examination  of  the  ships  to  see  if  they  were  in  readiness  for 
the  voyage  and  he  ordered  the  Capitana  (the  flagship  "San  Carlos")  to 
be  unloaded.  After  having  examined  the  ship's  keel  he  determined  to 
make  some  repairs  and  to  recalk  it;  but  as  he  had  no  rosin  for  this  pur- 
pose his  Christian  piety  was  signally  shown  by  his  efiEorts  not  only  to 
find  a  way  to  supply  the  need  but  with  his  own  hands  he  set  to  work  to 
provide  the  material,  extracting  it  from  the  tree  cactus  (pitayos)  when  '  '- 
all  other  means  seemed  to  have  failed.  With  these  repairs  the  vessels 
were  satisfactorily  made  ready  and  he  ordered  them  loaded  with  the 
provisions  and  other  things  which  had  been  brought  from  San  Bias,  as 
well  as  with  the  other  cargo  which  had  been  in  storage  in  the  port  of 
La  Paz. 

His  Honor  also  personally  assisted  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero 
and  Father  Parron  to  pack  the  vestments,  sacred  vessels  and  other 
utensils  of  the  church  and  vestry  destined  for  the  three  Missions  which 
were  to  be  established  first,  and  he  boasted  in  a  letter  which  he  wrote 
me  at  that  time  that  he  was  a  better  sacristan  than  Father  Junipero, 
as  he  had  boxed  all  the  vestments  and  other  things  for  his  own  Mission, 
as  he  called  it,  of  San  Buenaventura,  much  more  rapidly  than  the  servant 
of  G«d  had  prepared  those  destined  for  his  Mission  of  San  Carlos,  and 
that  he  had  had  to  lend  a  hand  in  the  latter  work.  At  the  same  time  in 
order  that  these  Missions  might  be  established  under  the  same  rules  and 
methods  employed  in  those  of  the  Sierra  Gorda,  which  had  s«  pleased 
His  Excellency  the  Viceroy,  he  ordered  that  all  the  other  implements 
for  the  house  and  the  field,  together  with  the  necessary  tools,  should  be 


.58  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

boxed  and  sent.  He  also  provided  a  supply  of  all  kinds  of  seeds,  both  of 
those  growing  in  Old,  as  well  as  in  New  Spain,  not  forgetting  to  include 
the  ones  of  lesser  importance,  such  as  vegetables,  flowers  and  flax,  as  in 
his  conception  that  country  to  which  they  were  going  was  exceedingly 
fertile,  and,  as  it  was  about  the  same  latitude  as  Spain,  would  lend  itself 
for  the  growing  of  these  things.  In  this  he  was  not  deceived  as  we  shall 
see  later.  He  also  determined  that  from  the  old  Mission  which  was 
situated  farthest  north  ^^  the  land  expedition  shotdd  take  two  hundred 
head  of  cows,  biills  and  oxen,  in  order  to  populate  the  new  region  with 
cattle  and  also  that  they  might  be  used  in  cultivating  the  soil  and  in  case 
of  need,  be  used  for  food.  This  was  done  and  the  herd  grew  and  has 
became  wonderfully  abundant. 

When  everything  was  in  readiness,  His  Honor  decided  the  day  upon 
which  the  vessel  was  to  sail,  ordering  that  all  the  people  should  prepare 
for  the  voyage  by  receiving  the  Sacraments  of  Penance  and  Holy  Eu- 
charist. 

This  was  done  and  the  Rev.  Father  President  pronounced  a  benedic- 
tion upon  the  ship  and  the  flags,  giving  them  all  his  blessing  after  the 
Mass  of  Supplication  in  honor  of  the  Holy  Patriarch  St.  Joseph  who  had 
been  named  patron  of  the  two  expeditions  by  land  and  sea.  He  had 
also  previously  sent  out  a  circiilar  letter  charging  the  Missionaries  that 
every  month,  on  the  19th  day,  they  were  to  celebrate  High  Mass  in  all 
the  Missions  in  honor  of  this  most  Holy  Patriarch,  concluding  it  with  the 
litany  of  the  saints,  in  order  to  obtain  the  most  complete  success  for 
the  expedition.  After  the  Mass  of  Supplication  had  been  celebrated, 
the  Inspector-General  made  a  general  exhortation  addressed  to  all  the 
men  in  order  to  encourage  them.  Greatly  moved  by  his  words,  they  all 
embarked  on  the  9th  of  January  of  the  year  1769  in  the  above  mentioned 
flagship  ' '  San  Carlos. ' '  The  Rev.  Father  Fernando  Parron  accompanied 
those  on  board  as  their  spiritual  advisor. 

Those  who  embarked  on  this  maritime  expedition  were  the  following: 
Don  Vicente  Vila,  Commander;  a  company  of  volunteer  soldiers  from 
Cataluna,  composed  of  twenty-five  men  with  its  lieutenant,  Don  Pedro 
Fages;  the  engineer  Don  Miguel  Constanzo,  Don  Pedro  Prat,  siu-geon  of 
the  Royal  Squadron,  and  all  the  necessary  crew,  with  the  corresponding 
naval  officers.  The  vessel  sailed  on  the  9th  and  on  the  same  day  the 
Rev.  Father  Fr.  Junipero  left  the  port  by  land  for  his  Mission  and  the 
garrison  of  Loreto,  in  order  to  make  the  necessary  preparations  for  the 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  5g 

land  expedition,  stopping  on  his  way  at  my  mission,  that  of  San  Fran- 
cisco Xavier,  where  he  told  me  all  that  has  been  here  related,  his  face 
alight  with  the  joy  and  happiness  of  his  heart. 

The  second  ship  destined  for  the  expedition  was  the  San  Antonio, 
formerly  called  *'E1  Principe,"  which,  as  has  been  said,  had  anchored  at 
the  Cape  San  Lucas  on  account  of  contrary  winds.  As  soon  as  the  Inspec- 
tor-General heard  of  its  arrival  he  ordered  the  captain  to  remain  there 
as  he  intended  to  go  to  that  point.  On  the  same  day  in  which  the 
San  Carlos  left  the  port  His  Honor  embarked  in  the  packet-boat  called 
"La  Concepcion"  and  he  wrote  to  me  telling  of  the  departure  of  the 
other  ship  and  that  seeing  he  was  not  permitted  to  go  with  the  expedi- 
tion in  order  with  his  own  hand  to  set  up  the  standard  of  the  Holy  Cross 
in  the  port  of  Monterey,  he  wanted  to  accompany  the  ship  at  least  as 
far  as  the  Cape  San  Lucas,  and  that  there  he  would  go  ashore  and 
do  what  he  could  to  help  in  the  dispatching  of  the  *'San  Antonio  "  with- 
out loss  of  time.  This  His  Honor  did,  accompanying  the  flagship  as  far 
as  San  Lucas,  where  he  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  her  sail  away  under  a 
good  wind  on  the  i  ith  of  January  of  the  year  1769. 

As  soon  as  His  Honor  had  gone  ashore  at  Cape  San  Lucas  he  began  to 
hurry  the  departure  of  the  "San  Antonio";  but  first  of  all  he  made  the 
same  careful  examination  of  this  ship  that  he  had  done  of  the  "San 
Carlos,"  ordering  her  unloaded  and  repaired.  As  soon  as  she  was  quite 
ready  he  ordered  her  loaded  not  only  with  the  things  that  had  been 
brought  from  San  Bias  but  also  with  the  provisions  of  grain,  meats  and 
fish  which  he  had  had  accumulated  there  with  great  foresight  for  this 
purpose.  When  everything  was  ready  and  the  people  had  been  pre- 
pared and  fortified  by  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  and  when  the  High 
Mass  of  Supplication  had  been  offered  in  honor  of  San  Jos^  he  received 
the  Holy  Communion  with  them.  And  then  this  same  gentleman,  Don 
Jose  Galvez,  made  an  earnest  speech,  exhorting  them  to  peace  and  union 
and  imposing  upon  them  all  the  duty  of  faithfulness  and  of  obedience 
to  their  superiors,  begging  them  to  render  all  due  respect  to  the  Mis- 
sionary Fathers,  Fr.  Juan  Vizcayno  and  Fr.  Francisco  Gomez,  who 
accompanied  them  as  spiritual  advisors.  When  the  service  was  finished 
they  all  embarked  on  the  15th  of  February,  and  as  this  was  the  day  of 
the  Translation  of  San  Antonio  de  Padua  (patron  of  the  vessel)  they  were 
recommended  to  his  protection,  that  with  all  good  fortune  they  might 
be  carried  to  the  port  of  San  Diego  or  of  Monterey.     In  this  confidence 


6o  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

they  set  out,  His  Honor  having  urged  the  captain  of  the  ship,  Don  Juan 
Perez,  from  Mallorca,  well  known  pilot  of  the  Philippine  line,  not  to  lose 
a  minute  of  time,  as  it  was  imderstood  that  the  commander  of  the 
expedition,  the  captain  of  the  "San  Carlos,"  was  under  orders  to  go 
directly  to  the  port  of  San  Diego,  and  there  to  wait  twenty  days,  and 
if  in  this  interval  the  second  ship  had  not  arrived  he  was  to  leave  some 
sign  and  then  to  go  on  to  Monterey.  The  captain  of  this  vessel  was  to 
do  the  same  thing  in  case  he  did  not  find  either  the  flagship  in  San  Diego 
or  the  land  expedition. 

As  soon  as  these  two  vessels  had  been  dispatched  the  Inspector-General 
\  began  the  preparation  of  a  third  which  was  called  the  *'San  Jos6,"  which 
had  come  from  San  Bias  and  anchored  at  Cape  San  Lucas.  He  ordered 
that  it  should  be  unloaded,  carefully  examined  and  all  necessary  repairs 
made  as  he  had  done  with  the  other  two.  When  this  was  accomplished 
he  ordered  the  vessel  to  sail  as  far  as  the  port  of  La  Paz  and  there  to 
wait  for  him,  because  before  she  sailed  for  San  Diego  he  had  to  go  to 
Loreto.  While  this  packet-boat  was  making  the  voyage  to  the  port  of 
La  Paz,  His  Honor  set  out  by  land,  going  around  the  whole  of  the  cape 
along  the  shore  until  he  came  to  the  Mission  of  All  Saints  (Todos  San- 
tos) and  then  on  to  the  town  of  Santa  Anna.  Having  finished  in  these 
places  his  duties  as  Inspector-General  he  went  on  to  La  Paz  and  there 
embarked  in  a  fishing-smack  in  order  to  serve  as  a  convoy  for  the 
packet-boat  San  Jos^  on  which  had  also  embarked  the  two  Missionary 
Fathers  who  had  come  from  the  College  of  San  Fernando  to  take  the 
place  of  the  other  two  who  had  been  sent  with  the  second  expedition. 

They  set  out  from  La  Paz  in  the  middle  of  April  and  after  a  short 
voyage  reached  Loreto  without  incident  and  remained  in  that  roadstead 
until  the  ist  of  May,  where  His  Honor  was  occupied  in  making  the 
preparations  necessary  for  the  good  order  and  discipline  of  the  troop 
and  garrison  and  for  the  Missions  of  the  Indians.  He  founded  here  a 
school  to  prepare  many  of  them  for  service  in  the  navy.  When  he  had 
finished  his  visit  he  embarked  again  on  the  same  fishing-smack,  the  ist 
day  of  May,  in  order  to  go  to  the  roadstead  of  Santa  Barbara  of  the 
Mayo  river  on  the  coast  of  Sonora,  taking  with  him  the  packet-boat 
San  Jos^  in  order  that  it  might  receive  here  a  part  of  the  cargo  which  he 
had  ordered  prepared.  Upon  arriving  here  without  ftuther  incident  he 
went  on  to  the  camp  of  the  Alamos  in  order  to  begin  his  visit  among  those 
provinces,  and  the  packet-boat,  as  soon  as  it  was  loaded,  returned  to 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  6i 

Loreto  for  the  rest  of  the  cargo  which  was  being  prepared.  On  this 
ship  it  was  planned  that  the  Rev.  Fr.  Joseph  Murguia  was  to  embark, 
but  on  account  of  his  very  serious  illness,  which  brought  him  to  the  point 
of  death,  the  vessel  sailed  from  Loreto  without  any  friar  on  board  on  the 
1 6th  of  June.  Nothing  further  was  ever  heard  from  this  ship  nor  was 
any  fragment  of  it  ever  found,  so  it  was  supposed  that  it  foundered  on 
the  high  seas.  I  have  anticipated  somewhat  in  relating  the  story  of 
these  maritime  expeditions  in  order  to  take  up  without  interruption  the 
story  of  the  expeditions  by  land. 


62  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XIV 

Preparations  for  the  Land  Expedition.     The  Departure  of  the  Venerable 
Father  from  Loreto  and  His  Arrival  Among  the  Pagans. 
The  Beginning  of  the  First  Mission. 

WITH  the  same  efficiency  with  which  His  Honor,  the  Inspector- 
General,  attempted  to  fulfill  the  royal  order  of  His  Majesty  for 
the  colonizing  of  the  port  of  Monterey,  he  put  into  operation  as  many 
means  as  he  could  find  at  hand  for  the  carrying  out  of  this  noble  enter- 
prise. I  have  already  spoken  of  his  plan  to  send  out  in  addition  to  the 
maritime  expedition  which  His  Majesty  had  ordered,  a  land  expedition, 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  could  not  be  very  far  from  the  frontier  of  the 
Missions  of  Lower  California  to  the  above  mentioned  port  of  San  Diego; 
and  without  neglecting  the  voyage  by  sea  nor  his  duties  as  Inspector- 
General  on  the  Peninstila  he  made  the  necessary  provision  for  the  land 
expedition  with  the  hope  that  both  might  come  together  in  that  port 
(San  Diego) ,  and  having  established  the  colony  be  ready  to  pass  on  to 
found  the  one  in  Monterey. 

As  soon  as  His  Honor  determined  to  send  out  this  second  expedition, 
which  would  be  quite  as  arduous  as  it  was  dangerous,  not  because  of  any 
danger  from  storm  but  because  of  the  great  mass  of  pagan  people  of 
different  tribes  living  in  savagery  which  must  be  met  in  the  way,  he 
decided,  in  imitation  of  the  patriarch  Jacob,  to  divide  the  company 
into  two  groups  in  order  that  if  an  accident  should  happen  to  the  one 
the  other  might  be  saved.  He  named  as  first  commander  Don  Gaspar 
de  Portold,  captain  of  dragoons,  and  Governor  of  California,  and  as  sec- 
ond in  command  Don  Fernando  Rivera  y  Moncada,  captain  of  the  ar- 
mored company  of  the  garrison  of  Loreto.  The  latter  was  to  command 
the  first  section  and  to  act  as  explorer  of  that  region  unknown  thus  far  to 
the  Spaniards.  He  put  the  former,  whom  he  had  named  Governor,  in 
charge  of  the  second  section  of  the  expedition. 

Having  made  these  assignments,  he  gave  him  (Rivera)  necessary  in- 
structions for  the  trip.  He  told  him  that  he  should  carefully  choose 
from  out  the  whole  company  of  armored  troops  the  nimiber  of  soldiers 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  63 

which  he  thought  it  wise  and  proper  to  take,  and  if  necessary  to  recruit 
others,  and  also  to  secure  the  muleteers  necessary  for  the  cargo  and  the 
baggage  of  the  expedition.  He  also  ordered  that  they  make  their  way 
toward  the  frontier,  passing  through  all  the  Missions,  where  they  were 
to  ask  for  as  many  mules  and  horses  as  they  might  find  they  needed,  as 
well  as  whatever  other  loads  of  provision  they  might  obtain  in  the  way 
of  meat,  grain,  flour,  pinole,  and  hard-tack,  leaving  in  each  Mission  a 
receipt  for  what  they  had  taken  in  order  that  all  might  be  paid  for;  and 
that  with  all  this  provision  they  were  to  make  their  way  up  as  far  as  the 
frontier  of  Santa  Maria  de  Los  Angeles,  taking  also  the  two  hundred 
head  of  cattle;  and  that  he  was  to  give  a  careful  account  of  all  that  he 
did,  as  well  as  of  the  time  required  for  the  first  expedition  to  set  out. 

Under  these  thorough  directions  (which  were  carefully  ftilfiUed)  the 
captain  set  out  from  Santa  Anna  in  the  month  of  September  and  having 
arrived  at  the  place  of  our  Lady  of  the  Angels,  which  is  on  the  frontier 
of  paganism  (where  he  also  found  a  part  of  the  freight  which  had  al- 
ready been  sent  up  by  small  boats  as  far  as  the  bay  of  San  Luis),  and 
having  examined  the  territory  and  not  finding  it  suitable  for  a  camp  on 
account  of  the  absolute  lack  of  fodder  for  the  cattle,  he  reconnoitered 
in  the  neighborhood,  penetrating  into  the  country  of  the  Indians,  and 
God  willed,  after  traveling  eighteen  leagues  in  the  direction  of  San 
Diego,  that  he  should  find  a  very  suitable  place.  Having  brought  all 
the  freight  there,  as  well  as  the  cattle  and  the  beasts  of  burden,  he  sent 
word  to  the  Inspector-General  (who  was  at  that  time  busy  in  the  south 
preparing  the  expedition  by  sea) ,  advising  him  that  he  would  wait  there 
during  the  whole  of  the  month  of  March  before  continuing  the  journey. 

When  the  Venerable  Father  (who  had  named  the  Rev.  Father  Fr. 
Juan  Crespi,  Missionary  of  the  Mission  of  the  Immaculate  Conception 
to  accompany  the  expedition)  received  word  from  the  commander,  he 
wrote  to  the  Father  telling  him  to  start  at  once  in  order  that  he  might 
not  be  left  behind.  Father  Crespi  set  out  from  the  said  Mission  on  the 
26th  of  February  of  the  year  1769,  and  arrived  at  the  frontier  at  the  \ 
place  where  the  camp  had  been  formed  and  which  the  Indians  of  the 
place  called  Vellicatd,  on  Wednesday  in  Holy  Week,  the  2  2d  day  of 
March,  and  found  there  the  captain  and  all  the  people  ready  for  their 
departure.  And  when  all  had  made  their  confession  to  the  Missionary 
from  San  Borja  who  had  come  up  there  for  that  purpose  in  order  that  on 
the  next  day,  Holy  Thursday,  they  might  fulfill  the  precept  of  our  Holy 


64  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Mother,  the  Church,  and  the  day  following,  Good  Friday,  they  were 
prepared  to  set  out  upon  the  expedition. 

This  was  made  up  of  the  following  persons:  the  Captain,  who  was 
the  commander,  Father  Fr.  Juan  Crespi,  a  pilotin  (an  officer  whose  duty 
it  was  to  take  observations  and  to  keep  the  diary) ,  twenty-five  armored^' 
soldiers,  three  muleteers,  and  a  squad  of  converted  Indians  from  Cali- 
fornia, who  went  along  as  helpers  to  the  muleteers  and  peons  for  what- 
ever service  might  be  reqiiired,  all  armed  with  bows  and  arrows.  After 
spending  fifty-two  days  on  the  road  the  company  arrived  without 
incident  on  the  14th  of  May  at  the  port  of  San  Diego  where  they  found 
anchored  in  the  harbor  the  two  ships,  as  I  will  tell  about  later. 

There  had  been  left  in  the  camp  of  Vellicatd  for  the  second  expedi- 
tion the  miiles  and  horses  with  their  respective  freightage,  the  cattle 
and  a  part  of  the  soldiery  and  muleteers  who  were  to  go  with  the  expedi- 
tion. The  rest  of  the  company  were  to  accompany  the  Governor  and 
the  Venerable  Father  President,  who  had  asked  that  gentleman  to  go  on 
ahead,  it  being  imderstood  that  he  had  to  pick  up  some  more  freight  by 
the  way  and  that  he  leave  behind  two  soldiers  and  a  servant,  as  the  Fa- 
ther woidd  start  off  a  little  later  and  would  catch  up  to  the  rest  of  the 
4)arty  before  reaching  the  frontier.  To  this  the  Governor  agreed  and 
he  set  out  from  Loreto  with  the  troop  on  the  9th  of  March.  Having 
arrived  at  my  Mission  he  told  me  about  how  very  bad  the  foot  and  leg 
of  the  Rev.  Father  Junipero  had  become,  since  in  the  trips  he  had  made 
in  the  south  they  had  become  very  much  worse.  Indeed  he  believed 
that  his  foot  had  become  cancered,  and  he  doubted  very  much  if  this 
misfortune  would  permit  him  to  make  the  long  and  difficult  journey. 
He  said:  " In  spite  of  what  I  have  told  him  and  the  delay  which  he  may 
cause  to  the  expedition  if  he  should  become  unable  to  proceed  farther, 
he  insists  upon  going  and  I  have  not  been  able  to  persuade  him  to  remain 
behind  and  to  let  Your  Reverence  go  in  his  stead.  His  reply  has  always 
been  just  what  I  have  said  and  that  he  trusts  in  God  that  he  will  be  given 
strength  to  go  on  not  only  to  San  Diego  but  to  Monterey,  that  I  am  to 
go  on  ahead  and  that  he  will  come  up  with  me  on  the  border  of  the 
territory  of  the  pagans.  It  looks  to  me  quite  impossible  for  him  to 
carry  out  this  plan  and  so  I  have  written  to  the  Inspector-General."  He 
begged  me  to  write  to  the  same  effect  (which  I  did)  and  he  went  on  with 
his  troop  in  the  direction  of  the  frontier.     In  the  Mission  of  San  Ignacio 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  65 

he  received  into  his  company  Fr.  Miguel  de  la  Campa,  who  had  been 
named  to  go  along  and  take  part  in  the  Spiritual  Conquest. 

On  the  28th  of  March,  the  Tuesday  after  Easter  Sunday,  our  Vener- 
able Father  started  out  from  the  Mission  and  garrison  of  Loreto,  after 
having  celebrated,  with  all  his  accustomed  devotion,  the  services  of  the 
Holy  Week,  and  after  having  heard  the  confession  of  all  the  people  of 
the  Mission  and  of  the  garrison  and  administered  Holy  Commimion  to 
them  in  accordance  with  the  ordinances  of  our  Holy  Mother  Church. 
(It  was  on  account  of  these  duties  that  he  had  not  been  able  to  go  with 
the  company.)  Having  finished  his  task  on  the  last  day  of  Eastertide 
he  sang  High  Mass,  preached  to  the  people,  bade  a  last  good-bye  to  all, 
and  started  out  from  Loreto,  as  we  have  said,  with  no  other  company 
than  that  of  two  soldiers  and  the  servant.  So  he  arrived  at  my  Mission. 
But  when  I  saw  him  and  his  swollen  foot  and  leg  with  its  ulcer  I  could 
not  keep  back  my  tears  when  I  thought  of  how  much  he  had  still  to  suffer 
in  the  rough  and  difficult  trails  which  he  must  traverse  before  reaching 
the  frontier  and  the  other  unknown  trails  which  he  would  have  to  trav- 
erse farther  on,  without  other  doctor  or  surgeon  than  the  Divine  aid, 
and  without  other  protection  for  his  lame  foot  than  a  sandal,  as  he  never 
would  use  anything  else  in  all  the  journeys  which  he  took  both  in  New 
Spain  as  well  as  in  both  Califomias,  saying  that  he  could  not  use  shoes 
or  stockings  or  boots  because  it  was  better  for  him  to  have  his  foot  and 
his  leg  bare. 

He  remained  with  me  in  the  Mission  for  three  days  in  order  that  we 
might  enjoy  one  another's  company  and  the  reciprocal  love  which  we 
had  one  for  the  other  since  the  year  1740,  in  which  I  had  been  assigned 
to  him  as  one  of  his  pupils  in  philosophy.  We  had  also  much  to  talk 
about  concerning  the  matters  belonging  to  the  Presidency,  as  I  had  been 
named  in  the  Patent  from  our  College  as  Vice-President  and  to  serve  as 
President  in  case  of  the  death  or  the  absence  of  the  Venerable  Fr. 
Junipero.  But  before  treating  of  these  matters  I  called  his  attention  to 
the  deplorable  condition  of  his  foot  and  leg  and  told  him  that  naturally 
it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  take  such  a  long  journey  and  that  he 
might  be  the  cause  of  bringing  disaster  upon  the  expedition,  and  if  not 
he  would  at  least  greatly  retard  it.  I  also  said  that  while  he  went  far 
ahead  of  me  in  his  desires  to  take  part  in  the  Spiritual  Conquest  he  was 
not  my  superior  in  the  health  and  strength  which  were  necessary  for  it 


66  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

and  that  in  view  of  this  situation  he  ought  to  remain  behind  and  I  ought 
to  go. 

As  soon  as  he  had  heard  my  proposition  he  replied,  using  these 
words:  "Let  us  not  talk  about  it.  I  have  put  all  my  trust  in  God, 
from  whose  goodness  I  expect  that  it  will  be  granted  me  not  only  to 
arrive  at  San  Diego  and  to  set  up  and  dedicate  in  that  port  the  standard 
of  the  Holy  Cross,  but  also  to  go  on  to  Monterey."  I  yielded  to  him 
when  I  saw  that  the  fervent  Prelate  surpassed  me  greatly  in  his  faith  and 
trust  in  God,  in  his  love  for  whom  he  was  ready  to  sacrifice  his  life  on  the 
altar  of  his  Apostolic  labors.  We  went  on  to  treat  of  other  matters, 
and  when  we  had  finished  he  left  the  Mission  to  continue  his  journey. 
The  pain  of  our  good-bye  was  very  greatly  increased  when  I  saw  that 
in  order  to  mount  or  dismount  from  the  mule  which  carried  him  he  need- 
ed the  service  of  two  men  who  lifted  him  up  bodily  and  adjusted  him  in 
the  saddle.  His  last  word  of  farewell  to  me  was:  ''Good-bye  till  I 
see  you  in  Monterey,  where  I  hope  that  we  shall  come  together  again  to 
work  in  that  vineyard  of  the  Lord."  I  rejoiced  in  his  hope  for  such  a 
thing,  but  my  good-bye  was:  "Until  eternity."  And  when  I  had  been 
affectionately  scolded  for  my  little  faith  he  said  that  it  had  penetrated 
to  his  very  heart. 

He  went  on  traveling  from  Mission  to  Mission  visiting  the  Fathers, 
comforting  them  all  and  begging  that  they  commend  him  to  God.  He 
had  gone  about  fifty  leagues  from  my  Mission  and  was  in  that  of  our 
Lady  of  Guadalupe  when  I  received  the  reply  from  the  Inspector-General 
to  the  letter  which  I  had  sent  him  telling  him  of  the  ill-health  of  our 
Venerable  Father,  that  I  had  been  unable  to  detain  him,  and  that  it 
seemed  to  me  doubtful  if  he  would  be  able  to  keep  up  with  the  expedi- 
tion. To  this  he  replied  that  he  had  already  taken  up  this  matter  with 
him  in  the  camp  of  Santa  Anna  and  in  the  port  of  La  Paz,  and  that, 
knowing  as  he  did  his  great  spirit,  he  was  sure,  he  said,  that  he  could  go 
on.  "I  am  very  glad  that  our  Rev.  Father  Junipero  is  going  with  the 
expedition  and  I  praise  him  for  his  great  faith  and  confidence  that  he 
will  get  better,  which,  may  God  grant,  and  that  he  may  arrive  at  San 
Diego.  I  fully  believe  that  he  will  do  so."  And,  indeed,  as  we  shall  see, 
it  was  not  a  false  expectation.  From  this  reply  I  lost  all  hope  of  being 
able  to  go  with  the  expedition,  so  reconciling  myself  to  the  will  of  God 
I  continued  to  ask  of  His  mercy  for  the  restoring  to  health  of  my  Vener- 
able Father,  and  for  good  success  in  his  expedition. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  67 

With  great  labor,  with  no  less  fatigue,  and  with  no  relief  from  his 
painful  disease,  he  was  able  to  reach  the  camp  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Angels 
on  the  frontier  and  there  to  join  the  Governor  and  Fr.  Miguel  de  la 
Campa.  Having  rested  there  three  days  they  went  on  together  with  the 
troop,  penetrating  into  the  pagan  territory  until  they  came  to  the  camp 
of  Vellicatd  where  was  gathered  all  the  baggage  and  the  freight  and 
where  they  arrived  on  the  13th  day  of  May. 


68  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XV 

The  Venerable  Father  Founds  the  First  Mission  Which  He  Dedicates  to 

San  Fernando f  and  then  Leaves  with  the  Expedition  for 

the  Port  of  San  Diego. 

DURING  the  time  that  the  troop  was  detained  in  the  camp  called 
by  the  natives  of  that  region  Vellicatd,  there  was  abundant  op- 
portunity to  explore  the  whole  region  round  about  as  well  as  for  the 
construction  of  some  little  houses  to  act  as  a  shelter  from  the  storms. 
They  also  constructed  a  little  chapel  in  which  the  Reverend  Father  Fr. 
Fermin  Lasuen  celebrated  Mass  when  he  went  there  to  hear  the  con- 
fessions of  the  people  of  the  first  detachment  during  the  Lenten  season. 
When  His  Honor  the  Governor  and  the  Father  President  and  Fr.  Miguel 
de  la  Campa  arrived  there  on  the  13th  of  May,  as  we  have  recorded  in 
the  previous  chapter  (which  was  the  day  just  preceding  Pentecost),  it 
seemed  wise  to  establish  there  a  Mission  as  the  place  lent  itself  well  to 
the  purpose.  The  more  so  because  the  soldiers  who  had  been  there  for 
several  months  with  the  cattle  and  horses  had  reconnoitered  the  country 
for  several  leagues  about.  For  this  reason  and  because  it  was  within 
easy  communication  between  San  Diego  and  Old  California,  and  also 
because  the  nearest  Mission  to  that  place  was  San  Francisco  de  Borja, 
at  least  sixty  leagues  distant  and  over  a  rather  desert  region  which 
lacked  water,  they  resolved  to  make  here  the  center  of  a  new  establish- 
ment. 

Having  settled  on  this,  but  not  being  able  to  remain,  as  there  was 
urgent  need  for  them  to  proceed  to  San  Diego,  they  agreed  that  on  the 
next  day  (May  14th),  which  was  Pentecost,  they  should  take  posses- 
sion of  the  land  in  the  name  of  their  Catholic  Monarch  and  make  the 
beginning  of  the  Mission.  As  soon  as  this  resolution  was  reached,  the 
soldiers,  servants  and  muleteers  set  to  work  to  clean  out  the  room  which 
was  to  be  used  for  the  chapel,  and  they  also  brought  decorations  and 
hung  up  the  bells.    A  great  cross  was  also  prepared. 

The  next  day,  which  was  May  14th  and  the  feast  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
the  first  step  toward  the  founding  of  the  Mission  was  taken.    The 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  69 

Venerable  Father,  vested  in  alb  and  cope,  blessed  the  water  and  with  it 
sprinkled  the  chapel,  the  yard,  and  the  Holy  Cross  which  had  been 
venerated  by  all,  and  set  up  in  front  of  the  chapel.  He  named  as  Patron 
of  the  Mission  the  same  Patron  Our  College  has, —  the  Holy  King  of 
Castile  and  Leon,  San  Fernando.  He  also  named  as  resident  Mis- 
sionary of  it  the  Rev.  Father  Miguel  de  la  Campa  Coz.  Having  sang 
there  the  first  Mass,  he  delivered  a  fervent  discourse  on  the  coming  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  and  on  the  establishing  of  the  Mission.  When  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  had  been  concluded  (which  was  celebrated  with  no  other  candle 
than  the  light  of  a  taper  and  another  little  piece  of  a  candle,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  the  freight  in  which  was  the  wax  had  not  come)  he  sang  the 
Veni  Creator  Spiritus,  supplying  the  place  of  an  organ  or  any  other 
musical  instrument  by  the  continual  shooting  of  the  soldiers  who  dis- 
charged their  guns  for  this  purpose,  the  smoke  from  them  also  taking 
the  place  of  the  incense. 

Owing  to  the  haste  with  which  the  expedition  had  to  go  on,  the 
Venerable  Father  Founder  did  not  have  the  satisfaction  of  celebrating 
here  the  first  baptism  as  he  did  in  the  other  ten  Missions  which  he  estab- 
lished, but  before  God  he  should  not  lose  the  merit  of  the  many  pagans 
who  were  converted  to  His  Divine  Majesty.  For  within  the  next  four 
years  and  when  the  Mission  was  delivered  to  the  Reverend  Dominican 
Fathers,  there  were  two  hundred  and  ninety-six  newly  received  Chris- 
tians of  all  ages,  as  was  shown  by  the  register  which  I  myself  delivered 
to  those  same  Fathers  and  which,  after  being  signed  by  them,  was  sent 
to  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy.  As  the  good  Father  Junipero  had  re- 
mained here  three  days,  God  willed  it  that  he  should  see  a  group  of  the 
very  same  pagans  who  afterwards  were  to  receive  Holy  Baptism  and  so 
be  permitted  to  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  success,  as  is  manifest  he  did  in  the 
expressions  found  in  his  diary  and  which  I  insert  here,  seeing  that  there 
is  no  room  for  it  all  in  this  "Account,"  as  that  would  make  too  volu- 
minous this  story  of  his  life. 

"The  15th  of  May,  second  of  the  Feast  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  second  of  the 
founding  of  the  Mission,  after  the  two  Masses  which  Father  Campa  and  I  celebrated, 
I  have  been  greatly  comforted  because  after  the  two  Masses  were  over,  while  I  was 
in  retirement  in  the  little  hut  which  had  been  given  me  for  a  sleeping-place,  word 
was  brought  that  some  of  the  pagans  had  come  and  were  even  then  drawing  near. 
I  praised  God,  kissed  the  ground,  giving  God  thanks  that  after  so  many  years  of 
ardent  desire,  it  had  been  granted  to  me  to  find  myself  in  the  midst  of  these  people 
in  their  own  land.     I  went  out  immediately  and  there  met  twelve  of  them,  all  of 


70  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

them  men,  and  tall,  with  the  exception  of  two  who  were  boys,  one  about  ten  years 
old  and  the  other  about  sixteen.  I  saw  then  that  which  I  had  read  about  and  could 
never  scarcely  believe,  that  these  men  went  about  as  completely  naked  as  was 
*  Adam  in  Paradise  before  he  had  sinned.  So  they  went  about  and  so  they  presented 
themselves,  and  during  the  long  time  we  were  treating  with  them,  though  they 
noticed  that  we  were  dressed,  they  did  not  seem  to  have  the  least  particle  of  shame 
on  appearing  before  us  naked.  I  placed  my  hand,  as  a  sign  of  afifection,  on  the 
head  of  each  and  filled  their  two  hands  with  dried  figs  which  they  immediately 
began  to  eat.  We  also  received,  with  every  sign  of  appreciation,  the  gift  which 
they  presented,  a  net  of  maguey  [agave]  fiber  and  four  fish,  rather  large  and  very 
handsome,  but  as  the  poor  fellows  had  not  taken  the  pains  to  dress  them  and  much 
less  salt  them,  our  cook  said  they  were  no  longer  serviceable.  Father  Campa  also 
presented  them  with  some  figs.  The  Governor  gave  them  tobacco  in  the  leaf;  all 
the  soldiers  showed  them  kindness  and  invited  them  to  eat  with  them,  and  through 
an  interpreter  I  made  them  understand  that  there  would  remain  there  permanently 
one  of  the  Fathers,  the  same  whom  they  saw  there  and  that  his  name  was  Father 
Miguel,  that  they  should  come,  together  with  the  rest  of  the  people  to  visit  him 
and  to  let  the  word  go  out  that  they  were  not  to  be  afraid  nor  suspicious  as  the 
Father  would  be  their  friend  and  that  those  soldiers  who  were  to  remain  there  with 
the  Father  would  do  them  much  good  and  no  harm;  but  that  they  were  not  to  steal 
the  cattle  which  we  allowed  to  roam  the  country;  but  rather  in  case  they  were  in 
need,  to  come  and  ask  of  the  Father  and  he  would  give  them  what  they  asked 
whenever  he  could.  All  these  observations  they  received  apparently  with  satis- 
faction and  made  signs  to  show  they  assented  to  everything  so  that  it  seemed  to 
me  the  time  was  not  far  away  when  the  Apostolic  net  could  be  cast  and  the 
people  evangelized. 

So  it  came  to  pass  as  we  shall  see.  Then  the  Governor  said  to  the 
one  who  acted  as  the  leader,  that  if  hitherto  he  had  not  had  the  title  of 
Captain,  as  a  rank  given  him  by  his  own  people,  that  from  that  day  he 
made  him  the  Captain,  granting  him  the  authority  in  the  name  of  our 
lord  the  King. 

When  the  Governor  perceived  that  very  soon  the  pagans  wotdd 
gather  about  this  first  Mission,  he  carried  into  effect  the  order  which  he 
had  from  the  Inspector-General,  namely:  to  deliver  to  the  Father  charged 
with  the  teaching  the  fifth  part  of  the  cattle.  These  Father  Campa  re- 
ceived in  the  name  of  his  future  children,  marking  the  animals  so  that 
he  could  distinguish  them  from  the  rest  of  the  herd  still  there  and  which 
were  destined  for  the  Mission  of  Monterey,  as  it  seemed  wise  to  leave 
these  latter  here  until  he  could  be  sure  as  to  the  success  of  the  expedi- 
tions. He  also  left  with  Father  Campa  forty  fanegas  of  com,  a  bag  of 
flour  and  another  of  hard-tack,  chocolate,  figs  and  raisins  in  order  that 
he  would  have  something  to  give  as  presents  to  the  Indians  in  order  to 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  71 

attract  them.  He  also  left  as  a  guard  an  escort  of  soldiers  with  their 
corporal,  an!d  on  the  1 5th  day,  in  the  afternoon,  the  expedition  set  out, 
although  it  traveled  only  three  leagues. 

During  the  three  days  of  resting  in  Vellicatd,  our  good  Father  had 
not  felt  any  inconvenience  from  his  foot,  perhaps  because  the  joy 
and  the  distractions  of  the  founding  of  the  Mission  had  caused  him  to 
forget  his  pains.  But  it  was  not  so  when  he  was  again  on  the  march, 
and  during  the  journey  of  three  leagues  his  foot  swelled  so  badly,  and 
also  his  leg,  that  it  seemed  to  be  cancered.  The  pain  increased  and  be- 
came so  intense  that  he  could  not  find  any  easement  from  it.  However, 
he  said  nothing  about  it  till  he  had  made  another  day's  journey,  also  of 
three  leagues  and  they  had  come  to  the  camp  of  San  Juan  de  Dios. 
Here  he  found  himself  suffering  so  severely  firom  his  malady  that  he 
could  not  stand,  nor  even  ^t,  but  had  to  lie  prostrate  in  his  bed,  enduring 
such  an  agony  of  pain  that  he  could  not  sleep  or  rest. 

When  the  Governor  saw  what  a  plight  he  was  in  he  said:  "Your 
Reverence  well  knows  that  you  cannot  accompany  the  expedition.  We 
are  only  six  leagues  from  the  place  from  which  we  set  out.  If  your 
Reverence  will  permit,  they  can  carry  yoU  back  to  the  first  Mission  in 
order  that  you  may  there  become  well  again,  and  we  will  go  on  our 
journey."  But  our  Venerable  Father,  who  never  gave  up  hope,  replied 
in  this  manner:  ''Please  do  not  speak  to  me  further  about  the  matter,  * 
because  I  trust  in  God  who  will  give  me  strength  to  arrive  at  San  Diego, 
as  he  has  given  me  strength  to  come  this  far,  and  in  case  this  is  not  His 
good  pleasure  for  me,  I  shall  resign  myself  to  His  holy  will.  Even  if  I  ^ 
die  on  the  road  I  will  not  go  back,  but  you  can  bury  me  here  and  I  shall 
very  gladly  remain  among  these  pagan  people  if  such  be  the  will  of  God 
for  me." 

When  the  Governor  saw  the  firmness  of  the  Reverend  Father,  and 
that  neither  on  foot  nor  on  horseback  was  he  able  to  travel,  he  ordered 
a  litter  made  in  the  form  of  the  bier  used  for  the  carrying  of  the  dead, 
using  small  branches  for  the  bed  of  it,  in  order  that  on  it  the  Father  might 
lie  down  and  be  carried  by  the  converted  Indians  from  California  who 
were  accompanying  the  expedition  as  servants  and  laborers  for  just 
this  kind  of  service.  When  the  Venerable  Father  heard  of  this  he  was 
much  grieved  about  it  in  view  of  the  extra  labor  which  it  would  cause 
and  the  extra  burden  they  would  have  to  bear,  and  it  hurt  his  very 
humble  spirit  to  be  served  in  this  way.    With  this  added  distress,  he 


72  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

withdrew  within  himself  to  commune  with  God  and  to  ask  that  He  would 
grant  him  some  slight  alleviation,  in  order  to  avoid  the  trouble  which  he 
would  give  to  the  Indians  if  they  had  to  carry  him  in  this  way.  Reviv- 
ing his  faith  and  his  trust  in  God  he  called  to  him  that  afternoon  one  of 
the  muleteers,  called  Juan  Antonio  Coronel,  and  said  to  him:  "My 
son,  don't  you  know  how  to  make  me  a  remedy  for  my  foot  and  leg?" 
But  the  man  replied:  "Father,  what  do  I  know  about  remedies?  Ami 
a  surgeon?  I  am  only  a  muleteer  and  I  only  know  how  to  cure  the  galls 
on  the  backs  of  the  pack-animals." 

"Very  well,  then,  my  son,  take  into  account  that  I  am  one  of  your 
beasts  of  burden  and  that  this  sore  is  a  gall-sore  from  which  has  resulted 
the  swollen  leg.  The  pains  I  feel  are  so  great  that  I  cannot  sleep,  so 
please  make  the  remedy  and  apply  it  just  as  if  I  was  one  of  your  an- 
imals." 

At  this  the  mtdeteer  laughed,  as  did  all  the  rest,  but  he  replied:  "I 
will  do  it.  Father,  in  order  to  give  you  pleasure." 

Taking  a  little  tallow,  he  crushed  it  between  two  stones  and  then 
mixed  it  with  some  of  the  herbs  of  the  field  which  he  found  at  hand,  and 
having  heated  it  well,  he  applied  it  to  the  leg  and  foot,  leaving  it  placed 
over  the  sore  like  a  poultice.  God  worked  through  this  so  wonderfully 
that  (as  our  servant  of  God  said  in  a  letter  written  to  me  from  San  Diego) 
he  slept  well  that  night  until  daybreak  and  awoke  so  much  better  from 
his  pains  and  from  the  sore  that  he  could  arise  and  take  part  in  the 
Matins  and  Praise,  as  was  his  custom,  and  when  he  had  finished  the 
prayers  he  said  Mass  as  if  he  were  not  suffering  from  any  malady.  All 
were  astonished,  both  the  Governor  as  well  as  all  the  rest  of  the  troop, 
to  see  tjie  Reverend  Father  so  suddenly  restored  to  health  and  in  such 
good  cheer,  ready  to  go  on  with  the  expedition  and  without  obliging  it 
on  his  account  to  be  further  delayed. 

The  expedition  went  on  its  way,  following  the  trail  of  the  first  section, 
which  was  the  same  as  that  traversed  three  years  previously  by  Father 
Wenceslao  Link  (according  to  the  testimony  of  the  soldiers  who  accomT 
panied  him  on  his  expedition  to  the  Colorado  River)  as  far  as  the  place 
which  the  Father  just  mentioned  called  "La  Cieneguilla,"  distant  from 
the  new  Mission  of  San  Fernando  de  Vellicatd  twenty-five  leagues  to  the 
north.  From  the  above  mentioned  place  he  followed  the  trail  of  the 
former  expedition  in  the  same  direction,  seeking  for  the  mouth  of  the 
Colorado  River  but  to  which  they  were  not  able  to  arrive  because  (as  he 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  73 

says  in  his  diary  which  he  sent  on  to  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy)  a  little 
while  after  leaving  Cieneguilla,  they  found  in  front  of  them  a  high 
Sierra,  all  of  stone  where  the  pack-animals  could  not  travel,  so  they  were 
obliged  to  return  to  the  frontier  Mission  called  San  Borja  from  which  the 
expedition  had  set  out. 

The  members  of  our  expedition  were  aware  of  all  this,  through  the 
information  given  by  some  of  the  soldiers  who  had  gone  in  it  and  had 
accompanied  the  Jesuit  Father,  as  well  as  from  data  which  his  own  diary 
supplied  and  which  was  in  the  possession  of  the  Venerable  Father  Juni- 
pero.  At  any  rate,  as  our  expeditions  did  not  intend  to  reach  the  Col- 
orado River,  but  the  port  of  San  Diego,  they  turned  aside  from  the  north- 
em  route  at  Cieneguilla,  and,  taking  to  the  northwest  they  made  their 
way  down  to  the  coast  of  the  great  sea,  the  Pacific,  and  found  no  diffi- 
culty in  reaching  San  Diego,  where  they  arrived  on  the  first  of  July  after 
having  spent  in  the  voyage  from  the  Mission  of  San  Fernando  forty-six  \ 
days. 

When  the  members  of  the  expedition  came  in  view  of  the  harbor,  it 
seemed  as  though  immediately  their  hearts  were  filled  with  a  great  joy 
as  was  demonstrated  by  the  troops  shooting  off  their  guns.  These  were 
answered  by  corresponding  shots  from  those  of  the  first  expedition 
which  had  arrived  on  the  same  day  on  which  in  Vellicatd  they  had 
celebrated  the  founding  of  the  first  Mission  called  San  Fernando.  This 
salute  of  arms  was  augmented  by  the  salvos  from  the  ships  which  were 
lying  in  the  harbor,  and  which  were  repeated  until  all  had  dismounted 
and  had  shown  by  their  affectionate  embraces  their  mutual  affection  and 
their  great  joy  to  see  that  all  the  expeditions  had  gathered  at  the  place 
destined  and  toward  which  they  had  all  so  ardently  looked. 

The  services  which  were  celebrated  in  the  port  as  soon  as  there  had 
arrived  there  the  Commander  and  Governor,  together  with  the  Rev- 
erend Father  President,  will  be  told  in  the  succeeding  chapter,  and  as 
well  will  be  given  there  a  letter  which  my  venerable  Father  Lector  Fr. 
Junipero  wrote  me  on  his  arrival  and  in  which  he  informed  me  as  to  the 
journey  and  the  dispositions  and  determinations  made  by  the  Gov- 
ernor with  reference  to  the  movements  on  both  sea  and  land. 


74  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Copy  of  the  Letter  of  the  Venerable  Father,  and  What  Was  Determined 
upon  in  San  Diego  as  to  the  Expedition. 

LONG  live  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph  —  R.  F.  Lector  and  President,  Fr.  Francisco 
Palou  —  Dearly  beloved  Sir  and  Brother:  I  sincerely  hope  you  are  in  good 
health  and  doing  your  work  with  all  happiness  and  contentment  in  the  colony 
of  the  new  Mission  of  Loreto,  as  well  as  in  the  others,  and  that  before  long  the  re- 
inforcements of  new  friars  will  arrive  so  that  all  may  be  established  in  good  order  and 
for  the  comfort  of  all. 

Thanks  to  God,  I  arrived  here  at  this  port  of  San  Diego  the  day  before  yesterday, 
the  first  day  of  the  month.  It  is  truly  a  beautiful  port  and  well  deserving  of  its 
fame.  Here  I  caught  up  with  all  those  who  had  gone  out  first,  both  by  sea  and  by 
land,  except  those  who  had  died.  Here  are  our  companions  the  Fathers  Crespi, 
Viscaino,  Parron,  Gomez  and  myself,  and  all  well,  thank  God.  Here  are  the  two 
ships:  the  "San  Carlos"  without  a  crew,  for  all  have  died  of  scurvy,  only  one  having 
remained,  who  is  the  cook.  The  "San  Antonio,"  formerly  called  "El  Principe," 
whose  captain  is  Don  Juan  Perez,  a  countryman  from  the  shores  of  Palma,  though 
having  sailed  a  month  and  a  half  afterwards,  arrived  here  twenty  days  before  the 
other.  Just  as  she  was  on  the  point  of  sailing  for  Monterey,  the  "San  Carlos" 
arrived,  and  in  trying  to  succor  those  who  were  on  board  sick  the  sailors  of  the  other 
vessel  became  infected  and  eight  of  them  died,  and  so  it  is  that  the  "San  Antonio" 
is  to  return  from  here  to  San  Bias  in  search  of  sailors  for  its  own  crew  as  well  as  that 
of  the  "San  Carlos,"  and  on  returning,  both  will  start  out.  We  shall  see  how  it 
goes  with  the  "San  Jos6"  and  if  this  packet-boat  arrives  in  the  meantime,  it  will  be 
the  first  to  sail  north. 

The  serious  disaster  on  board  the  "San  Carlos"  has  been  due  to  two  things:  The 
first,  because  of  the  poor  barrels  from  which  the  water  had  leaked  out  without  being 
seen,  so  that  from  four  barrels,  not  enough  water  was  had  to  fill  one,  so  they  had  to 
come  to  land  to  obtain  water  and  what  they  found  was  not  good  and  from  drinking 
it  the  men  were  soon  taken  sick.  The  second  reason  was  that,  by  an  error  in  which 
we  all  were,  both  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy  as  well  as  all  the  rest,  this  port  was 
supposed  to  be  at  latitude  33  or  34  degrees,  north.  So  at  least  the  authors  say,  one 
stating  one  thing  and  others  another.  For  this  reason  the  command  had  been  to 
put  well  out  to  sea  and  to  sail  north  as  far  as  latitude  34,  and  then  to  make  for  the 
land  in  search  for  the  port.  But  as,  in  reality,  the  latitude  of  this  place  is  only  32 
degrees,  34  minutes,  according  to  the  observations  just  taken  here  by  the  captains, 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  ship  went  too  far  north  and  when  they  looked  for  the  port 
they  could  not  find  it.  For  this  reason  the  voyage  was  prolonged,  and  as  the  crew 
were  already  very  sick,  the  cold  climate  affected  them,  and  as  they  had  to  go  on  using 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  75 

the  bad  water  they  came  to  such  a  state  that  if  they  had  not  soon  come  to  port,  they 
would  have  all  died,  because  they  were  not  able  to  man  the  launch  in  order  to  go 
ashore  to  obtain  better  water,  or  to  let  go  the  anchor,  or  manage  the  sails.  The 
Fr.  Fernando  worked  faithfully  with  the  sick  and  although  he  is  very  thin,  he  is  in 
good  health.  But  as  I  want  him  to  come  out  all  right,  I  will  not  let  him  go  to  sea 
again,  and  he  is  glad  to  remain  here. 

I  am  also  writing  by  this  same  post  to  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  and  to  our 
Father,  the  Commissary  General,  and  for  this  reason  I  am  somewhat  tired,  and  if 
it  had  not  been  that  Captain  Perez,  seeing  me  so  busy  has  also  found  something  to 
do,  I  believe  he  would  have  gone  away,  without  permitting  me  to  write  with  profit. 
As  regards  the  journey  of  Father  Fr.  Juan  Crespi  with  the  Captain,  he  says  that  he 
is  writing  to  your  Reverence  by  this  same  boat  and  so  I  do  not  have  to  treat  of  that 
matter.  As  for  myself,  the  journey  has  been  in  fact  a  very  happy  one  and  without 
any  special  break  or  incident  in  my  health.  When  I  left  the  frontier,  I  was  very- 
bad  with  my  leg  and  foot,  but  God  saw  to  it  (this  expression  refers  to  the  remedy 
applied  by  the  muleteer)  that  each  day  I  should  get  a  little  better,  and  I  was  able  to 
continue  my  journey  as  if  nothing  were  the  matter.  At  present  my  foot  is  entirely 
well,  but  from  the  ankle  half  way  up  the  calf  of  the  leg  there  is  a  bad  sore  like  there 
was  formrely  on  my  foot,  but  there  is  no  swelling  nor  do  I  have  any  pain,  only  an 
itching  sensation  at  times  which  is  not  worth  speaking  of. 

I  have  not  suffered  hunger  or  want,  nor  have  the  Indian  converts  that  camei 
with  us  lacked  anything,  but  they  have  all  arrived  healthy  and  fat.  I  have  kept' 
my  diary  and  will  send  you  a  portion  of  it  at  my  earliest  opportunity.  The  Missions 
in  the  territory  through  which  we  have  come  are  all  in  good  condition,  with  good 
lands  and  good  water-supply.  Up  this  way,  and  for  a  long  way  back,  there  are  no 
stony  roads  nor  thorns,  but  there  are  plenty  of  hills  and  some  of  them  very  high,  but 
they  are  covered  with  soil.  The  roads  are  some  of  them  fairly  good,  but  mostly  of 
the  other  sort,  but  not  so  very  bad.  At  about  half  way  in  the  road,  or  more,  there 
begin  to  be  many  gullies  and  valleys  which  are  grown  up  with  trees.  There  are 
lots  of  grape-vines,  some  of  them  very  large  and  loaded  with  grapes.  In  some  of  the 
gullies  along  the  road  and  in  the  camps  where  we  stopped,  beside  the  grape-vines  we 
saw  many  rose-bushes.  In  short,  it  is  a  good  country,  very  much  different  from  that 
of  Old  California. 

Counting  from  the  21st  of  May,  on  which  we  set  out  from  San  Juan  de  Dios,  as 
I  wrote  to  your  Reverence,  until  the  ist  of  July,  when  we  arrived  here,  there  should 
be  subtracted  at  least  eight  days  which  we  spent  in  allowing  the  animals  to  rest,  one 
day  here  and  another  day  there,  but  beside  that  we  have  travelled  continuously. 
But  even  the  longest  journey  was  only  six  hours  and  there  were  only  two  days  in 
which  we  did  that,  the  rest  being  of  four,  four  and  a  half,  of  three,  of  two,  and  of  one 
and  a  half  hours,  as  I  have  expressed  each  day  in  my  diary,  and  of  course  we  went  no 
faster  than  the  pack-animals  travelled.  From  this  it  can  be  reckoned  that  with 
better  outfit  and  better  roads  a  great  many  unnecessary  leagues  could  be  cut  off,  so 
that  it  isn't  so  very  far,  and  I  believe  that  after  making  the  proper  preparations  it 
would  be  a  matter  of  some  twelve  days'  journey  for  the  Fathers  to  come  hither  from 
the  frontier  of  Vellicatd,  and  the  soldiers  say  they  could  make  it  in  less. 


76  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

There  are  immense  numbers  of  the  native  pagans  and  all  those  of  this  coast  (on 
the  Pacific),  among  whom  we  have  come,  beginning  with  those  of  la  Ensenada  of 
Todos  Santos,  as  it  is  called  on  the  maps  and  charts,  live  very  well  provided  for,  with 
their  different  crops  and  with  the  fishery  which  they  carry  on  in  their  rush  canoes, 
with  which  they  go  far  out  to  sea.  They  are  very  affable,  and  all  the  men,  large  and 
small,  go  about  naked;  the  women  and  girls  are  modestly  dressed,  as  are  even  the 
babies.  They  used  to  come  up  with  us  on  the  roads,  as  well  as  in  our  camp,  and 
treat  us  with  the  greatest  confidence  and  signs  of  good  will  as  if  they  had  known  us 
all  their  lives.  When  we  wished  to  give  them  something  to  eat  they  would  generally 
answer  that  they  did  not  want  that  but  that  they  would  like  some  clothing,  and  only 
for  articles  of  this  sort  would  they  make  their  exchanges  of  fish  and  other  things 
with  the  soldiers  and  muleteers.  All  along  the  way  could  be  seen  jackrabbits,  rabbits, 
now  and  then  a  deer,  and  a  great  many  antelope. 

The*  Land  expedition,  the  Governor  tells  me,  he  wishes  to  go  on  from  here  under 
the  charge  of  the  captain  in  three  or  four  days,  and  he  will  leave  us  here  with  eight 
leather-jacketed  soldiers  as  a  guard,  and  some  of  the  Spaniards  who  are  sick,  if  they 
get  better,  will  serve  us  in  the  same  way.  The  Mission  has  not  yet  been  established, 
but  I  am  going  to  see  to  that  very  soon.  *  *  ♦  My  Friend,  I  had  gotten  this 
far  when  the  captain  came  to  me  to  say  that  he  could  not  wait  any  longer  without 
serious  loss,  and  so  I  finish  by  saying  that  the  Fathers  who  are  here  send  you  many 
kind  regards,  that  we  are  all  well  and  happy;  and  I  send  kind  regards  to  Father 
Martinez  and  to  the  other  Companions  to  whom  I  wanted  to  write,  but  have  not  been 
able  to,  and  I  hope  I  can  soon.  This  letter  I  am  including  in  one  I  am  sending  to 
Father  Ramos  who,  the  captain  tells  me,  is  going  toward  the  south,^in  order  that  he 
may  read  it  and  send  it  on  to  you.  May  God  keep  you  in  life  and  health  for  many 
years.  From  this  port  and  from  the  soon-to-be-established  new  Mission  of  San 
Diego  in  Northern  California,  July  3,  1769.  I  kiss  the  hand  of  your  Reverence. 
Your  affectionate  brother  and  servant, 

FR.   JUNfPERO   SeRRA. 

As  the  packet-boat  "San  Antonio,"  formerly  called  **E1  Principe/' 
arrived  at  the  port  of  San  Diego  and  the  "San  Carios"  twenty  days 
later,  the  naval  expedition  joined  itself  to  the  land  expedition,  the  first 
detachment  of  which,  under  the  command  of  the  captain,  arrived  there 
on  the  14th  of  May,  and  the  second  detachment  under  the  charge  of  the 
Governor,  on  the  ist  of  July.  In  this  place  both  of  the  commanders 
called  a  council  in  order  to  confer  and  to  determine  what  should  be  done 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  so  very  few  of  the  seamen  had  remained  alive 
and  free  from  the  contagious  malady  which  broke  out  on  board  the 
flagship  and  which  affected  not  only  the  crew  but  also  the  troop  which 
had  come  from  California.  On  this  account  it  was  not  possible  to 
carry  out  the  instructions  which  had  been  received  from  the  Visitor 
General.    In  view  of  all  the  circumstances  the  cotmcil  finally  resolved 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  77 

that  the  packet-boat  "San  Antonio,"  under  the  charge  of  its  captain 
Don  Juan  Perez,  with  such  of  the  crew  as  were  capable  of  going  to  sea, 
should  return  without  delay  to  the  port  of  San  Bias,  not  only  to  give  an 
account  to  the  Superior  Council  but  in  order  to  bring  back  the  sailors 
that  were  needed  for  the  manning  of  both  ships.  This  was  done,  and 
the  vessel  sailed  on  the  9th  of  July,  and  after  some  days  arrived  at  San 
Bias  with  very  few  men,  as  nine  of  them  died  on  the  way  and  their 
bodies  had  to  be  bmied  at  sea. 

It  was  also  determined  that  all  the  sick  ones,  both  soldiers  and 
sailors,  should  remain  in  the  hospital  in  the  port  of  San  Diego,  with 
a  few  of  those  who  were  well  enough  to  take  care  of  them  under  the 
direction  of  the  French  surgeon,  Don  Pedro  Prat:  that  the  flagship  "San 
Carlos"  should  remain  at  anchor,  and  on  board,  the  captain,  Don  Vi- 
cente Vila,  the  pilot,  with  some  four  or  five  of  the  convalescent  sailors, 
it  being  understood  that  as  soon  as  the  third  packet-boat,  San  Jos^, 
should  arrive,  it  should  be  left  here  at  anchor  with  only  the  men  needed 
to  care  for  it  and  that  the  rest  of  them,  going  on  board  the  flagship  and 
so  properly  equipping  it,  should  set  out  for  Monterey,  where  the  land 
expedition  which  was  to  set  out  as  soon  as  "El  Principe"  had  sailed, 
would  wait  for  it. 

All  necessary  preparations  were  made  including  food  and  other 
things  that  were  thought  necessary  for  a  voyage  into  unknown  territory 
and  which  all  thought  would  be  a  long  one.  The  provisions  and  the 
loads  of  utensils  belonging  to  church,  house  and  field,  which  the  ex- 
peditions had  brought  to  this  point,  were  left  in  San  Diego,  under  the 
guardianship  of  eight  leather-jacketed  soldiers. 

In  view  of  what  had  been  decided  upon  by  the  above  mentioned  gen- 
tlemen our  Venerable  Father  President  named,  out  of  the  five  Fathers 
who  were  now  in  San  Diego,  Fr.  Juan  Crespi  and  Fr.  Francisco  Gomez 
to  go  with  the  land  expedition  destined  for  Monterey,  and  the  Ven- 
erable Father,  with  the  other  two,  Fr.  Juan  Vizcaino  and  Fr.  Fernando 
Parron,  were  to  remain  in  San  Diego  until  the  packet-boat,  San  Jos^, 
should  arrive,  as  it  had  been  determined  that  our  servant  of  God  was 
to  embark  on  the  first  ship  going  to  Monterey. 

As  soon  as  "El  Principe"  had  sailed  away  on  the  9th,  as  we  have 
said,  a  day  was  set  on  which  the  land  expedition  was  to  set  out  and  this 
was  chosen  by  the  commander  to  be  the  14th,  the  day  in  which  the 
Seraphic  Doctor,  San  Buenaventura  is  honored.    He  named  the  following 


78  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

sixty-six  persons  to  accompany  him:  The  Governor,  Don  Caspar  de 
Portala,  first  commander,  with  his  servant,  the  two  Fathers  above  men- 
tioned, and  two  converted  Indians  from  Old  California  for  body  serv- 
ants, Don  Fernando  Rivera  y  Moncada,  captain  and  second  comman- 
der, with  a  sergeant  and  twenty-six  men  of  the  company  of  leather- 
jacketed  soldiers,  Don  Pedro  Fages,  lieutenant  of  the  volunteer  company 
of  Cataluna,  with  the  seven  remaining  soldiers  who  were  in  condition 
for  the  journey,  (the  rest  of  them  either  having  died,  or  were  left  behind 
in  San  Diego  sick),  Don  Miguel  Constanso,  engineer,  seven  muleteers 
and  fifteen  of  the  converted  California  Indians  for  peons  and  helpers 
for  the  muleteers  in  driving  the  train  of  mules  which  were  to  carry  all 
the  provision  which  they  thought  sufficient  in  order  that  they  might 
not  suffer  hunger  or  need,  following  in  this  way  the  repeated  instruc- 
tions of  the  Visitor  General. 

When  all  these  preparations  had  been  made  and  when  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  had  been  celebrated  by  all  the  Fathers  in  honor  of 
the  most  Holy  Patriarch,  San  Jose,  as  patron  of  the  expeditions,  and  in 
honor  of  the  Seraphic  Doctor,  San  Buenaventura  (whose  day  it  was), 
the  expedition  set  out  from  San  Diego,  going  in  a  northwesterly  direc- 
tion and  within  sight  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  the  coast  of  which  here  ex- 
tends in  this  direction.  The  departure  took  place  at  four  in  the  after- 
noon and  they  had  to  make  camp  after  traveling  scarcely  two  leagues 
and  a  half.  The  curious  reader  who  may  desire  to  know  more  about 
this  journey  is  referred  to  the  extensive  diary  which  Father  Juan 
*  Crespi  kept  on  the  road,  as  he  took  the  pains,  whenever  they  stopped 
at  night,  to  write  out  what  had  happened  each  day,  with  all  the  little 
incidents.  I  do  not  insert  this  diary  here  as  I  wish  to  avoid  prolixity 
and  because  these  labors  do  not  properly  belong  to  those  of  the  Ven- 
erable Father  Jtmipero,  and  so  I  pass  on  to  relate  what  happened  in  San 
Diego  while  the  expedition  was  gone  to  make  its  explorations  in  the 
direction  of  the  port  of  Monterey. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  79 


CHAPTER   XVII 

The  Founding  of  the  Second  Mission  [the  First  in  Alta  or  Nueva  Cali- 
fornia], That  of  San  Diego,  and  What  Happened  in  It. 

THAT  ardent  zeal  which  ever  burned  and  constimed  the  heart  of  our 
Venerable  Father  Fr.  Junipero  did  not  permit  him  to  forget  the 
principal  object  of  his  coming.  And  it  was  this  which  impelled  him,  on 
the  second  day  after  the  departure  of  the  expedition,  to  make  a  begin- 
ning toward  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  in  this  Mission  and  port  of  San 
Diego,  which  had  been  discovered  since  the  year  1603,  and  which  had 
been  so  named  by  the  Admiral  Don  Sebastian  Vizcaino.*  He  made  the 
service  for  the  foundation  of  the  Mission  to  consist  of  High  Mass  and 
the  other  ceremonies,  which  were  also  celebrated  in  the  founding  of 
the  Mission  of  San  Fernando,  on  the  i6th  of  July,  the  day  on  which  we 
Spaniards  celebrate  the  Triimiph  of  the  Most  Holy  Cross.  For  he 
hoped  that  exactly  as  through  the  power  of  that  sacred  emblem  the 
Spaniards  had  gained  a  great  victory  over  the  barbarous  Mohammedans, 
in  the  year  1 2 1 2,  they  might  also  win  a  victory  by  raising  the  standard  of 
the  Holy  Cross,  and,  putting  to  flight  all  the  army  of  hell,  bring  under 
subjection  to  the  gentle  yoke  of  our  Holy  Faith  all  the  savage  tribes  of 
pagans  who  inhabited  this  New  California;  and  besides,  he  implored 
the  special  patronage  of  the  Most  Holy  Mary,  who  on  this  day  is  honored 
by  the  Universal  Church  imder  the  title  of  Our  Lady  of  Mount  Carmel. 
Moved  by  this  ardent  faith  and  zeal  for  the  saving  of  souls,  the  Venerable 
Father  Junipero  raised  the  standard  of  the  Holy  Cross,  fixing  it  in  the 
place  which  seemed  to  him  most  appropriate  for  the  building  of  the  city, 
within  sight  of  the  harbor.  The  Missionaries  in  charge  were  our 
Venerable  Father  and  Fr.  Fernando  Parron.  The  few  men  who  were 
well  enough  to  be  about,  in  the  intervals  when  not  called  upon  to  attend 
the  sick,  were  kept  busy  in  the  construction  of  little  shacks.  As  soon  as 
a  place  had  been  prepared  and  dedicated  for  the  provisional  church  they 
tried  to  attract  to  it  with  gifts  and  expressions  of  affection  thp  pagans 
who  came  about;  but  as  they  could  not  understand  our  language  they 
*  This  date  is  in  error.     See  Appendix. 


8o  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

paid  no  attention  to  anything  but  the  receiving  of  gifts  from  us,  and  they 
took  everything  with  eagerness  except  food,  which  on  no  condition  would 
they  touch,  so  that  if  any  little  boy  happened  to  put  a  piece  of  sugar  in 
his  mouth  he  woiild  spit  it  out  as  if  it  were  poison.  They  naturally 
attributed  the  sickness  of  our  men  to  the  things  they  ate,  as  they  were 
things  they  had  never  seen.  This  was,  indeed,  a  singular  Divine  Provi- 
dence, for  if  they  had  had  the  same  desire  for  our  food  which  they  had 
for  our  clothing,  the  little  group  of  Spaniards  in  the  colony  would  surely 
have  been  left  to  starve  to  death. 

However  great  may  have  been  their  aversion  to  otu*  food,  no  less  in- 
tense was  their  desire  to  possess  themselves  of  otu*  raiment,  they  going 
so  far  as  to  steal  everything  of  this  sort  they  could  lay  hands  upon. 
They  went  to  such  an  extreme  that  even  the  sails  of  the  ship  were  not 
safe  from  their  hands.  One  night  the  men  on  board  found  that  they  had 
come  out  in  their  canoes  and  were  cutting  pieces  out  of  one  of  the  sails, 
and  on  another  occasion  cutting  up  a  rope,  in  order  to  carry  them  off. 
This  made  it  necessary  to  put  a  watch  of  two  soldiers  on  board  (taking 
them  from  the  eight  which  had  been  left)  and  with  the  fear  of  these  men 
the  vessel  was  protected.  However,  this  diminished  the  guard  at  the 
Mission  and  especially  on  Holy  Days  when  it  was  necessary  for  one  of  the 
Fathers  to  go  on  board  to  celebrate  Mass,  taking  with  him  two  of  the 
soldiers  as  an  escort  in  case  he  should  be  attacked  by  any  of  the  pagans. 

All  these  movements  they  watched  most  attentively,  but  were  igno- 
rant of  the  force  of  our  firearms  and  they  had  great  confidence  in  the  fact 
that  they  greatly  outntunbered  us,  and  in  the  virtue  of  their  arrows  and 
wooden  sabers  which  could  cut  almost  like  steel,  and  their  other  arms, 
such  as  war-clubs,  with  which  they  could  do  much  damage.  So  they 
began  to  steal  things  without  any  sign  of  fear  and  when  they  saw  that 
this  was  not  permitted  them  they  decided  to  try  their  fortunes  with  us, 
taking  all  our  lives  and  carrying  off  the  spoils.  This  they  attempted  on 
the  1 2th  and  13th  of  August,  but  when  they  found  they  were  met  with 
resistance  they  had  to  retire. 

On  the  15th  of  the  same  month  in  which  is  celebrated  the  Great 
Festival  of  the  Glorious  Assumption  of  our  Queen  and  Lady  of  the 
Heavens,  as  soon  as  two  of  the  soldiers  had  gone  with  the  Rev.  Fr. 
Fernando  on  board  ship  to  say  Mass,  leaving  only  four  of  the  soldiers  on 
shore,  just  as  the  Venerable  Father  President  and  the  Father  Viscaino 
had  finished  celebrating  the  Holy  Sacrifice  in  which  some  of  the  men 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  8i 

had  received  Communion,  a  great  number  of  the  pagans,  all  armed  for 
battle,  fell  upon  us  and  began  to  steal  everything  they  could  find,  taking 
away  from  the  poor  patients  in  the  hospital  even  the  sheets  that  covered 
them.  The  corporal  raised  the  cry,  "To  arms!"  and  when  their  enemies 
saw  the  soldiers  in  the  act  of  arming  themselves  with  their  leather  jackets 
and  shields  (a  defence  easily  able  to  turn  aside  their  arrows),  and  that 
at  the  same  time  they  were  taking  up  their  guns  they  drew  off  and  began 
to  discharge  their  arrows.  At  the  same  time  the  four  soldiers,  the  car- 
penter and  the  blacksmith  discharged  their  weapons  with  great  valor; 
but  the  blacksmith  excelled  them  all  for  without  doubt  the  Holy  Com- 
mimion  which  he  had  just  received  filled  him  with  extraordinary  courage 
and  though  he  had  no  leather  jacket  to  protect  him  he  went  about  among 
the  houses  and  shacks  crying  out,  "Long  live  the  Faith  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  let  these  dogs  of  enemies  die  the  death,"  firing  at  the 
same  time  upon  the  pagans. 

The  Venerable  Father  President,  with  his  companion,  was  at  the 
time  within  the  little  house  used  for  a  chapel,  commending  all  to  God  and 
praying  that  there  might  be  no  death  among  the  men,  and  also  praying 
to  spare  the  lives  of  the  pagans  that  they  might  not  die  without  baptism. 
The  Father  Viscaino,  wishing  to  see  if  the  Indians  had  retired,  raised  a 
little  way  the  agave  mat  which  served  as  a  curtain,  or  door,  to  the  room, 
but  he  had  scarcely  done  so  when  an  arrow  pierced  his  hand,  and  with 
that  he  let  the  curtain  fall  again  and  gave  himself  up  to  prayer,  as  did 
Father  Junipero.  Though  he  afterwards  was  healed  of  the  wound,  he 
always  remained  crippled  in  that  hand. 

The  battle  continued  and  the  noise  of  shots  mingled  with  the  cries 
of  the  pagans.  Suddenly  the  servant  called  Joseph  Maria,  who  person- 
ally attended  on  the  Fathers,  rushed  into  the  little  shack,  and,  falling 
down  at  the  feet  of  our  Venerable,  cried  out:  "Father,  absolve  me,  for 
the  Indians  have  killed  me."  No  sooner  had  he  received  absolution 
than  he  died,  as  his  throat  had  been  pierced  by  an  arrow.  The  Mis- 
sionaries kept  his  death  a  secret  and  the  pagans  never  knew  of  it.  From 
among  them  several  fell  and  when  the  rest  saw  the  terrible  destruction 
made  by  the  firearms  and  the  valor  of  the  Christians,  they  quickly  re- 
tired with  their  wounded,  without  leaving  one  on  the  ground  in  order  to 
prevent  us,  as  they  supposed  they  could,  from  knowing  if  any  had  been 
killed  in  the  combat.  Two  of  the  Christians  had  been  wounded,  besides 
Father  Viscaino,  one  of  them  a  jacketed  soldier,  an  Indian  from  Old 


82  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

California  and  the  valiant  blacksmith,  but  the  wounds  were  not  of  great 
seriousness  and  all  were  soon  well  with  the  exception  of  the  servant  boy, 
whose  death  was  kept  a  secret. 

From  among  the  pagans,  although  they  kept  secret  the  number  of 
the  dead,  we  knew  that  quite  a  number  had  been  woimded,  because  after 
a  few  days  they  came  back  seeking  for  peace,  and  asking  to  be  doctored, 
a  service  which  the  good  surgeon  very  gladly  did  them,  and  they  re- 
covered. This  charity  which  they  noted  in  us  could  not  help  forcing 
them  to  hold  us  in  esteem  and  the  sad  experience  of  their  unhappy  at- 
tempt to  rob  us  filled  them  with  fear  and  respect  for  us  so  that  they 
behaved  quite  differently  than  before,  for  while  they  continued  to  visit 
the  Mission  with  frequency,  they  did  not  bring  in  their  arms. 

Among  those  who  came  frequently  was  a  young  Indian  of  about 
fifteen  years,  who  got  to  coming  every  day  and  he  became  accustomed 
to  eat  whatever  the  Fathers  gave  him,  without  any  fear  of  consequences. 
Father  Junipero  tried  to  favor  him  and  encourage  him  to  learn  our  lan- 
guage so  as  to  see  if  through  him  he  might  not  bring  about  the  baptism 
of  some  of  the  children.  Several  days  passed  and  when  at  last  the 
Indian  boy  understood  somewhat,  the  Father  told  him  to  try  to  bring 
to  him  some  little  baby,  with  the  consent  of  its  parents,  as  he  would 
make  him  a  Christian  like  ourselves  by  putting  a  little  water  on  his  head, 
and  in  that  way  he  would  become  a  child  of  God  and  of  the  Father  and 
a  brother  to  the  soldiers  (whom  they  called  Cueres)  who  would  also  give 
him  clothing  that  he  might  go  about  dressed  like  the  Spaniards.  With 
these  expressions  and  others  which  the  zealous  Father  easily  conjured 
up  for  the  occasion,  it  seems  that  the  Indian  understood  and  communi- 
cated the  same  to  the  rest,  for  .within  a  few  days  he  returned  with  one 
of  the  pagan  men  (accompanied  by  many  others),  who  brought  in  his 
arms  a  child  and  indicated  by  signs  that  he  was  willing  to  have  it  bap- 
tized. Filled  with  great  joy,  our  Venerable  Father  immediately  gave 
him  a  piece  of  cloth  with  which  to  cover  the  child,  invited  the  corporal 
to  act  as  sponsor  and  the  other  soldiers  to  be  present  in  order  to  duly 
solemnize  this  first  baptism.  The  Indians  of  course  were  all  present. 
As  soon  as  the  Father  had  finished  the  ceremonies,  and  was  in  the  act 
of  pouring  out  the  water  of  baptism,  the  pagan  snatched  away  the  child 
and  ran  away  to  their  viUage,  leaving  the  Father  standing  with  the  shell 
in  his  hand.  Here  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  use  all  his  prudence  not 
to  become  incensed  at  the  rude  act  and  it  was  only  respect  for  him  which 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  83 

prevented  the  soldiers  from  attempting  to  avenge  the  profanation,  but 
considering  the  savagery  and  ignorance  of  the  poor,  miserable  creatures 
it  was  necessary  to  overlook  the  offense. 

So  great  was  the  sorrow  of  our  Venerable  Father  at  having  been 
frustrated  in  the  baptizing  of  the  child  that  for  many  days  he  went  about 
with  his  countenance  full  of  the  pain  and  the  sorrow  he  felt,  as  he  attrib- 
uted the  failure  to  his  own  sins.,, '  Even  after  the  lapse  of  years,  when- 
ever he  told  the  story,  he  would  have  to  stop  to  dry  the  tears  which 
started  from  his  eyes  and  he  would  generally  end  by  saying:  "Let  us 
thank  God  that  now  so  many  of  them  have  received  baptism  without  the 
least  repugnance."  So  it  was  that  in  that  Mission  of  San  Diego  the  > 
number  reached  one  thousand  and  forty-six  who  were  baptized,  counting 
children  and  adults,  whose  salvation  was  due  to  the  Apostolic  labors  of 
our  Venerable  President,  and  among  them  were  many  of  those  same  who 
at  the  first  had  tried  to  take  his  life. 

Very  different  was  the  lot  of  one  of  the  men  who  had  taken  an 
important  part  in  this  attack  on  the  Mission.  Far  from  imitating  the 
rest  in  repentance,  he  became  set  in  his  pagan  errors  and  was  one  of  the 
principal  movers  in  the  mutiny  of  the  year  1775,  and  of  which  I  shall 
speak  in  its  place  as  well  as  of  those  others  who  had  a  part  in  the  cruel 
death  and  martyrdom  of  the  Venerable  Fr.  Luis  Jayme.  Having  been 
taken  prisoner  for  his  part  in  this  last  crime  and  placed  with  others  in  the 
jail  of  the  garrison,  he  was  there  visited  by  theVenerable  Father  Junipero, 
who  had  come  down  to  that  port  in  August  ofHhe  year  1776.  The 
Father  wished  to  bring  to  the  pri,soners  some  comfort  as  well  as  to  con- 
vert them  to  our  Holy  Faith.  The  sergeant  pointed  out  to  our  Father 
this  miserable  pagan  (he  was  with  the  rest  in  the  stocks) ,  saying  that  he 
was  the  same  one  who  had  tried,  in  the  year  1769,  to  take  the  life  of  his 
Reverettice  and  of  the  others  in  the  first  days  of  the  founding  of  the 
Mission.  Then  it  was  that  the  ardor  and  zeal  of  our  Venerable  Father 
overflowed  in  a  flood  of  exhortation  and  loving  appeal  toward  this 
unhappy  mortal,  begging  him  to  become  a  Christian  and  assuring  him 
that  in  case  he  did,  God  our  Lord  and  the  King  would  undoubtedly 
pardon  his  crimes.  But  he  was  unable  to  obtain  a  single  word  from 
him,  although  the  other  prisoners,  greatly  moved  to  tears,  begged  the 
servant  of  God  to  intercede  for  them,  saying  they  wanted  to  become 
Christians  (as  indeed  they  did  later) .  But  this  unhappy  gentile,  having 
committed  suicide,  was  found  dead  on  the  morning  of  the  1 5th  of  August 


84  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


of  1776  (exactly  seven  years  from  the  date  of  the  attack),  it  being  a 
cause  of  great  wonderment  to  all  that  while  at  the  side  of  his  companions 
he  should  be  able  to  put  a  rope  around  his  neck  and  hang  himself  without 
letting  any  one  among  the  prisoners  know  of  it  and  much  less  the  guard. 
All  were  astonished  not  only  at  the  disastrous  end  of  the  unhappy  man 
but  that  it  should  happen  on  the  day  of  the  Assumption  of  Our  Lady  and 
just  seven  years  from  the  time  he  and  his  companions  had  tried  to  kill 
the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  and  those  who  accompanied  him,  which 
would  have  frustrated  many  great  Spiritual  Conquests,  as  we  shall  see 
later. 


1 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  85 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

The  Expedition  Returns  to  San  Diego  without  Having  Found  the  Port  of 
Monterey.     The  Efect  which  this  Unexpected  News  Caused. 

ON  the  24th  of  January  of  the  year  1770  the  land  expedition  which 
had  left  on  the  14th  of  July  of  the  previous  year  returned  to  San  1 
Diego  after  having  spent  six  months  and  ten  days  on  the  way,  where 
they  siiffered  many  hardships,  as  my  beloved  companion  Father  Fr. 
Juan  Crespi  tell  us  in  his  diary,  and  bringing  the  sad  news  that  they  had 
not  found  the  port  of  Monterey  in  which  the  naval  expedition  of  Ad- 
miral Don  Sebastian  Viscaino  had  anchored  in  the  year  1603,  during 
the  Viceroyship  over  New  Spain  of  the  Duke  of  Monterey;  but  that  they 
had  arrived  at  the  port  of  our  Holy  Father  (St.  Francis)  San  Francisco,  /  ^ 
forty  leagues  farther  to  the  northwest. 

The  Reverend  Fr.  Juan  Crespi,  who  went  with  the  expedition,  in  the 
letter  which  he  writes,  telling  this  news,  adds  that  they  suspected  the 
port  had  been  filled  up,  because  they  found  there  some  very  large  sand-  « 
dunes  or  sand-hills  on  the  coast.  As  soon  as  I  read  this  news  I  at- 
tributed it  to  the  Divine  Providence,  because  the  failure  of  the  expedi-i 
tion  to  find  the  port  of  Monterey  in  the  place  in  which  the  old  chart 
indicated  caused  them  to  go  on  until  they  reached  the  port  of  our  Holy 
Father,  San  Francisco,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  narrative. 

When  the  Venerable  Father  Fr.  Junipero  had  discussed  with  His 
Honor,  the  Inspector-General,  concerning  the  first  three  Missions  which 
he  ordered  to  be  founded  in  New  California,  on  seeing  the  names  and  the 
patrons  to  whom  they  were  assigned,  he  said  to  him,  **  Sir,  is  there  to  be  no 
Mission  for  our  Father  St.  Francis?"  To  this  the  other  replied,  "// 
St.  Francis  wants  a  Mission,  let  him  cause  his  port  to  he  discovered  and  a 
Mission  for  him  shall  he  placed  there." 

The  expedition  went  up  the  coast,  actually  arrived  at  the  port  of 
Monterey  and  stopped  there  and  planted  a  Cross  without  any  one  of 
those  belonging  to  the  expedition  recognizing  the  place,  although  they 
had  read  all  the  indications  and  land-marks  given  in  the  history.  They 
went  on  forty  leagues  farther  until  they  came  to  the  port  of  our  Father 


86  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


St.  Francis,  which  they  all  immediately  recognized,  because  of  the  agree 
ment  between  the  land-marks  and  the  indications  given  in  the  history. 
In  view  of  this,  what  more  can  we  say  than  that  our  Holy  Father  evi- 
dently desired  a  Mission  erected  at  his  port? 

So,  at  least,  must  have  thought  His  Honor,  the  Inspector-General,  for 
as  soon  as  he  received  the  news  (he  was  at  the  time  in  Mexico  City)  he 
entered  into  an  arrangement  with  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  for  the 
founding  of  a  Mission  in  the  above  mentioned  harbor,  and  he  took  such 
great  interest  in  it  that  when  he  knew  that  ten  Missionaries  were  coming 
out  in  the  packet-boat  **San  Antonio"  for  the  five  Missions,  he  charged 
the  captain  that  in  case  he  should  arrive  at  the  port  of  San  Francisco 
before  coming  to  that  of  Monterey,  and  if  two  of  the  Missionaries 
should  feel  encouraged  to  remain  there  in  order  to  proceed  without  loss 
of  time  to  the  founding  of  the  same,  that  he  should  allow  them  to  disem- 
bark with  all  the  equipment  necessary  for  the  establishing  of  the  in- 
strumentality for  preaching  the  Word,  and  that  he  also  leave  a  suffi- 
cient ntmiber  of  armed  sailors  to  act  as  a  guard,  advising  the  land  com- 
mander 'to  fiu*nish,  as  soon  as  possible,  the  troops  necessary  to  replace 
the  marines.  This  plan  was  not  carried  into  effect  as  the  packet-boat 
arrived  first  at  Monterey  and  six  years  passed  before  the  establishment 
of  the  Mission  of  ovlt  Holy  Father,  San  Francisco,  as  will  be  seen 
later. 

I  received  word  similar  to  that  sent  by  Father  Crespi  from  other 
members  of  the  expedition,  the  commander  Don  Gaspar  de  Portold 
also  telling  me  that  they  had  not  been  able  to  find  the  port.  He  added 
that  having  made  a  careful  examination  of  the  provisions  they  had  left, 
and  then  calculated  what  would  be  needed  for  their  use  under  the  most 
rigid  economy,  he  concluded  that  there  would  be  scarcely  enough  to 
last  until  the  middle  of  March,  as  the  necessary  provisions  would  have  to 
be  reserved  to  carry  the  expedition  back  to  the  frontier  and  to  the  new 
Mission  of  San  Fernando  [de  Vellicatd].  And  so  he  charged  me  at  the 
same  time  that  I  should  send  word  to  the  Fathers  in  the  northern  Mis- 
sions [of  Old  California]  telling  them  to  forward  to  that  place  such 
things  as  might  be  needed,  for  he  had  determined  that  if,  by  St.  Joseph's 
Day  (March  19),  none  of  the  packet-boats  had  arrived  from  San  Bias 
with  provisions,  the  expedition  would  start  on  the  return  march  the 
following  day,  leaving  abandoned  the  port  of  San  Diego. 

This  decision,  which  was  made  public  in  the  port  and  among  the 


1 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  87 

members  of  the  expedition,  was  the  sharp  arrow  which  wounded  the 
zealous  heart  of  our  Venerable  Father  Fr.  Junipero,  who,  finding  no 
other  recourse  but  in  prayer,  took  the  whole  matter  to  God  and  besieg- 
ing the  Throne  of  Grace,  begged  with  all  the  strength  of  his  ardent 
devotion  that  God  have  pity  upon  the  great  multitude  of  the  pagans 
which  had  here  been  discovered,  for  if,  at  this  time,  the  first  colonization 
were  abandoned,  this  Spiritual  Conquest  would  be  put  off  to  some  remote 
future  time.  Every  day  his  Apostolic  zeal  increased  in  view  of  the 
great  harvest  field  before  him,  which,  in  his  opinion,  was  ripe  and  ready 
to  be  gathered  into  Mother  Church,  so  he  resolved  that  he  would  not 
abandon  the  place  nor  desist  from  so  glorious  an  enterprise,  although 
the  expedition  shoiild  retire.  This  most  evangelical  minister  declared 
that  he  would  remain  with  some  of  his  companions,  trusting  only  in 
God  for  the  love  of  whom  he  was  willing  to  make  every  sacrifice.  This 
he  communicated  to  me  in  a  letter  which  I  received  with  the  rest  and  a 
copy  of  which  I  give  herewith,  keeping  the  original  in  my  possession, 
and  I  will  do  the  same  with  other  letters  which  it  may  be  well  to  insert, 
either  as  a  proof  of  the  ardent  zeal  which  consumed  the  heart  of  my 
Venerable  Father  Lector  Junipero,  or  to  weave  together  this  History 
of  California.  And  I  regret  that  I  cannot  find  many  others  of  the  in- 
ntmierable  letters  which  he  wrote  to  me  in  the  intervals  that  we  lived 
at  a  distance  one  from  the  other,  for  we  used  to  console  each  other 
often  in  this  way;  and  the  Servant  of  God,  in  his  letters,  which  were 
always  very  fervent  and  edifying,  roused  me  from  lukewarmness  and 
slothfulness  as  the  reader  can  well  imagine  if  he  reads  with  attention 
those  which  are  inserted  in  this  Historic  Account. 


88  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XIX 

Letter  from  the  Venerable  Father,  and  the  Things  Which  I  Did  on  Receipt 

of  It. 

LONG  live  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph! — Reverend  Father  Lector  President,  Fr. 
Francisco  Palou  —  Dearly  Beloved  Companion  and  Respected  Sir:  During 
the  ten  months  and  ten  days  which  have  passed  since  I  gave  your  Reverence 
the  last  farewell  embrace  at  the  Mission  of  San  Xavier  until  the  present  the  great 
love  which  I  have  for  you  has  often  asserted  itself  with  the  memory  of  our  old 
friendship  and  of  its  many  joys  and  has  led  me  to  spend  many  moments  in  thinking 
of  how  the  work  is  progressing  there  and  how  you  have  arranged  the  matters  which, 
on  account  of  my  departure,  were  not  very  well  established,  and,  although  I  am 
quite  ignorant  of  everything,  I  have  entered  very  deeply  into  sympathy  with  you 
as  I  have  thought  of  what  was  very  likely  to  have  happened. 

May  the  infinite  love  of  God  grant  that  at  least  everything  is  in  a  fairly  good 
condition  and  that  you  are  enjoying  peace  and  comfort.  Thanks  to  God,  I  have  been 
and  am  still  very  well  and  with  that  I  have  said  everything. 

Soon  after  writing  the  letters  which  I  sent  not  long  ago  on  returning  from  a 
journey  to  San  Juan  Dios,  I  also  wrote  to  your  Reverence  on  reaching  this  port  of 
San  Diego  at  the  beginning  of  July  of  last  year.  If  you  received  that  letter,  as  I 
suppose  you  did,  you  will  have  learned  from  it  how  I  fared  in  the  way  and  that  the 
country  is  filled  with  people  and  that  after  making  several  days'  journey  beyond  San 
Juan  Dios  the  places  where  we  made  our  camps  offer  not  only  good  but  really  excellent 
opportunities  for  Missions.  So  that  there  might  be  formed  a  beautiful  chain  of  them 
(  from  that  place  to  this,  which,  as  I  told  you,  was  founded  on  the  day  of  the  Triumph 
of  the  Holy  Cross  and  of  our  Lady  of  Carmel,  the  i6th  of  July.  The  Missionaries 
who  took  part  in  this  were  only  Father  Fernando  and  myself,  as  Father  Crespi  and 
Father  Gomez  had  left  two  days  before  for  Monterey,  leaving  here  Fr.  Fernando  with 
Father  Murguia  who  was  expected  to  arrive  shortly  on  the  packet-boat  San  Jos6. 
But  on  this  day  which  I  write  there  are  no  ships,  nor  any  San  Buenaventura,  nor 
Monterey;  but  the  only  thing  there  is  to  talk  about  is  the  abandonment  and  the 
•  destruction  of  this,  my  poor  little  Mission  of  San  Diego.  God  forbid  that  such  a 
thing  should  happen. 

Those  who  left  here  on  San  Buenaventura's  Day  for  Monterey  returned  on  the 
24th  of  January  of  the  present  year  with  the  merit  of  having  suffered  much,  of  having 
eaten  their  mules  and  of  not  finding  any  such  place  as  Monterey;  they  think  that  that 
port  has  been  blocked  up  with  the  great  sand-dunes  which  they  find  in  the  place 
where  the  port  ought  to  be  and  I  think  that  perhaps  in  this  they  are  right.  For  I 
have  seen  the  letters  which  both  Father  Juan  Crespi  and  Sergeant  Ortega  have  writ- 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  89 

ten  to  you  and  so  I  omit  all  reference  to  their  pilgrimage  and  only  here  lament  the 
slow  steps  with  which  everything  moves  and  the  fears  we  have  that  there  will  not 
be  so  great  a  harvest,  although  it  seems  to  me  it  could  not  be  more  ready  for  the 
cutting  and  for  us  to  thrust  forth  our  hands  for  its  gathering,  as  all  can  see  and  feel 
in  view  of  so  many  things  which  have  happened  around  us.  Beloved  Brother,  for 
the  love  of  God  try  from  where  you  are  to  use  all  the  influence  you  have  that  this 
work  may  go  on. 

If  I  knew  how  things  were  there  and  if  the  men  had  come  out  from  the  Mission 
of  Spain  or  not,  I  would  know  what  to  ask  for,  but  now,  not  knowing  whether  they 
will  come  or  when  the  ships  will  come,  I  cannot  ask  for  anything  with  definiteness, 
and  this  lack  of  communication  with  your  Reverence  and  with  those  Missions  is 
undoubtedly  one  of  the  greatest  hardships  we  feel  here,  at  least.  What  I  most  desire 
is  some  help,  although  our  physical  necessities  are  not  a  few,  yet  while  we  have  left  } 
a  tortilla  and  some  herbs  from  the  field,  what  more  do  we  need?  Only  this  being 
here  without  news  and  without  being  able  to  go  on  and  being  in  doubt  as  to  whether 
we  will  have  to  abandon  what  has  been  already  obtained  is  what  afflicts  me,  although 
personally,  through  the  mercy  of  God,  I  am  quieted  at  heart  and  willing  to  accept 
what  He  may  send. 

On  three  different  occasions  I  suppose  I  have  been  in  danger  of  death  from  the 
hand  of  these  poor  gentiles:  the  first  was  on  the  day  of  the  Seraphic  Mother  Santa 
Clara,  the  next  on  Saint  Hipolito's  Day,  and  then,  again,  on  the  day  of  the  Ascension 
of  Our  Lady  when  they  killed  my  Joseph  Maria,  the  boy  I  brought  from  Loreto. 
But  thank  God,  everything  is  now  quiet  here.  On  the  days  immediately  following 
the  attack  in  which  we  still  had  fears  that  their  advance  would  be  repeated,  I  wrote 
your  Reverence  a  long  letter,  although  much  against  my  will,  intending  to  send  it 
to  the  ship  so  that  in  case  they  were  to  kill  me  it  would  serve  as  a  good-bye,  and 
as  information  which  you  could  give  to  the  College,  and  this  I  asked  you  to  do.  But 
as  little  by  little  everything  became  quiet  I  did  not  send  off  the  letter  and  now  that 
I  have  looked  for  it  I  cannot  find  it  anywhere. 

In  order  that  your  Reverence  may  know  all,  I  am  sending  you  a  copy  of  the  letter 
which  I  write  to  His  Excellency,  the  Inspector-General,  in  order  that  you  may  read  it 
and  afterwards  seal  it  and  forward  it  to  him,  and  please  have  in  mind  that  what  I 
say  to  him  I  write  also  to  you,  as  I  have  not  time  to  repeat  the  message,  and  you  are 
free  to  communicate  what  I  therein  say  to  anyone  you  please.  It  seems  to  me  that 
your  Reverence,  from  the  place  where  you  are,  can  help  much  in  this  work,  more 
than  if  you  wrote  to  come  here  personally.  And  so  I  beg  of  you,  for  God's  sake,  do 
not  try  to  come  hither  until  I  let  you  know  again  whether  with  time  and  the  new 
aspect  which  affairs  may  take  it  would  be  wise  for  you  to  do  so.  For  the  present 
Father  Vizcaino  is  the  only  one  who  is  going  with  the  captain,  as  he  is  wounded  in  the 
hand. 

Four  of  us  remain  here.  Fathers  Juan  Crespi,  Fr.  Fernando  Parron,  Fr.  Francisco 
Gomez  and  myself,  to  see  if,  in  case  the  ships  should  arrive,  we  may  be  able  to  found 
a  second  Mission.  If  we  see  that  the  provisions  are  exhausted  and  also  our  hope, 
then  I  shall  remain  with  only  Fr.  Juan  to  endure  up  to  the  very  last.  May  God 
give  us  of  His  holy  grace.     Please  commend  us  to  God  that  so  it  may  be.     If  your 


90  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Reverence  should  see  that  cattle  which  were  left  in  Vellicatd  are  to  be  forwarded  to 
us,  then  please  have  them  bring  a  little  incense,  for  while  we  remembered  to  load  the 
censors  we  forgot  the  incense.  And  perhaps  you  can  send  some  calendars  if  they 
have  arrived  and  also  the  new  Holy  Wafers,  in  case  they  also  have  been  sent  from 
Guadalajara.  We  are  making  a  copy  of  the  diaries,  both  mine  and  Fr.  Juan's,  to 
be  ready  as  soon  as  possible,  and  I  greatly  regret  that  they  cannot  be  sent  now,  but 
here  we  work  under  great  difficulties  and  at  times  it  is  almost  impossible  to  write; 
however,  we  shall  make  an  effort  and  they  will  be  sent  as  soon  as  possible.  I  would 
like  to  say  many  other  things  to  your  Reverence  but  under  so  many  vexations  and 
contingencies  I  cannot  properly  explain  myself  nor  write  more.  I  send  kindest 
regards  to  all  my  Companions  and  if  any  does  not  receive  a  letter  from  me  let  him  not 
attribute  it  to  lack  of  will  but  of  time  to  write.  All  these  Fathers  commend  them- 
selves to  Your  Reverence  most  heartily  and  Fr.  Fernando  says  that  you  already  know 
what  a  bad  penman  he  is  and  that  this  letter  goes  in  the  name  of  all  and  that  he  com- 
mends you  to  God.  When  you  write  to  the  College,  please  give  them  all  on  my  part 
many  good  wishes  and  with  this,  good-bye,  until  another  time  which,  perhaps,  will 
not  be  so  long  as  was  the  last  interval.  May  his  Divine  Majesty  keep  you  many 
years  in  His  holy  love  and  grace.  Mission  of  San  Diego,  in  his  port,  and  among  the 
pagan  people  of  California  on  the  loth  of  February,  1770.  I  kiss  the  hand  of  your 
Reverence.  Your  affectionate  friend  and  servant, 

Fr.  JuNfPERO  Serra. 

As  soon  as  I  received  this  and  the  other  letters  I  immediately  put 
myself  in  communication  with  the  Lieutenant  Governor,  securing  from 
him  that  all  proper  orders  should  be  sent  out  for  the  purpose  of  supply- 
ing the  Mission  of  San  Fernando  de  Vellicatd  with  all  such  provisions  as 
could  be  gathered  together;  and  that  as  soon  as  possible  the  captain 
should  be  sent  back  to  San  Diego  with  the  nineteen  soldiers  which  he  had 
brought,  taking  with  him  the  cattle,  in  order  that  the  abandonment  of 
that  port  should  not  be  made  necessary  and  that  in  case  it  had  been 
abandoned  that  the  people  should  find  assistance  so  much  the  sooner 
on  the  way.  This,  the  Governor  ordered  done  with  great  efficiency  and 
it  all  served  its  purpose,  as  we  shall  afterwards  see. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  91 


CHAPTER  XX 

The  Eforts  of  the  Venerable  Father  Juniper 0  to  Prevent  the  Abandonment 
of  the  Port  and  Mission  of  San  Diego. 

FROM  the  moment  in  which  the  Governor  declared  his  purpose  to 
have  the  expedition  retire  toward  Old  California  in  case  no  ship 
arrived  by  the  19th  of  March,  scarcely  any  other  thing  was  spoken  of 
than  the  return  trip,  for  it  seemed  to  all,  both  the  officers  as  well  as  the 
sailors,  that  this  time  set  by  the  Governor  was  really  not  early  enough, 
but  that  was  the  date  of  the  Feast  Day  of  the  Holy  Patriarch  St.  Joseph, 
whom,  as  we  have  said,  the  Inspector-General  had  chosen  to  be  the 
patron  Saint  of  the  expedition.  In  San  Diego  everyone  was  talking  of 
the  retreat  and  getting  ready  for  it.  They  were  saying  that  the  people 
who  might  be  considered  efficient  as  sailors  were  to  embark  on  the 
packet-boat  ''San  Carlos"  and  that  the  rest  should  go  by  land. 

All  these  rumors  and  plans  were  as  so  many  arrows  which  penetrated 
the  fervent  heart  of  our  Venerable  Father  President,  who  unceasingly 
laid  this  matter  before  God  in  his  prayers,  asking  him  to  grant  the 
arrival  of  the  ship  before  the  date  assigned  for  the  retreat  in  order  that 
the  opportunity  might  not  be  lost  of  converting  to  God  the  great  host 
of  gentile  souls  which  were  at  hand,  and  which,  if  it  were  not  then 
accomplished,  might  be  forever  impossible,  or  at  least  be  deferred  for 
many  years.  It  should  be  remembered  that  the  number  of  Spaniards 
who  had  come  to  this  port  by  sea  only  and  who  had  passed  from  sight 
reached  the  number  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  and  if  now,  after 
having  taken  legal  possession  of  the  land  and  beginning  a  colony,  it  should 
be  abandoned,  many  centuries  wotdd  pass  before  another  such  effort 
cotdd  be  made. 

These  considerations  and  above  all  the  ardent  desire  to  win  souls 
for  God  made  His  servant  resolve  to  abide  in  San  Diego  although 
the  expedition  should  leave  him  behind,  and  for  this  reason  he  invited 
his  disciple,  Father  Juan  Crespi,  who  had  joyfully  offered  to  accompany 
him  hither,  to  remain  with  him,  trusting  in  God  that  some  day  a  vessel 
would  arrive  with  help,  and  that  if  some  of  the  sailors  were  left  to  act  as 


92  CISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

a  guard  for  them  they  might  convert  to  God  some  soul  in  the  interval 
in  which  the  higher  authorities  might  order  a  return  expedition  and  more 
troops  to  establish  firmly  the  Spiritual  Conquest. 

The  month  of  March  was  well  advanced  and  neither  of  the  two  ships 
which  were  expected  had  appeared  As  the  Venerable  Father  had  be- 
come firm  in  his  purpose  to  remain,  he  went  on  board  the  ship  to  treat 
this  matter  with  the  sea  commander,  Don  Vicente  Vila,  and  he  spoke  to 
him  as  follows:  "Sir,  the  land  commander  and  Governor  has  deter- 
mined to  retire  and  to  abandon  this  port  by  the  20th  if  some  ship  does 
not  arrive  beforehand  bringing  help,  he  being  impelled  to  take  this  step 
because  of  the  lack  of  provisions,  and  because  it  is  the  common  opinion 
that  the  port  which  they  set  out  to  find  has  been  blocked  with  sand,  al- 
though I  suspect  that  they  did  not  recognize  it."  "I  have  thought  the 
same  thing,"  replied  the  Commander,  "judging  from  what  I  have  heard 
and  what  I  have  read  in  the  letters.  The  port  must  be  there  exactly 
where  they  planted  the  Cross."  "Well,  Sir,"  said  the  Venerable  Father, 
"I  am  resolved  to  remain,  although  the  expedition  may  go,  and  with  me 
Father  Crespi.  If  you  will,  we  will  come  aboard  as  soon  as  the  expedi- 
tion leaves  and  when  the  other  packet-boat  arrives  we  will  go  up  the 
coast  by  sea  in  search  of  Monterey."  To  this  the  captain  gladly  agreed 
and  having  decided  to  keep  the  matter  secret,  the  Venerable  Father 
returned  to  his  Mission. 

When  the  Venerable  Servant  of  God  saw  that  the  Feast  Day  of  the 
Venerable  Patriarch,  St.  Joseph,  was  now  at  hand,  he  proposed  to  the 
Commander  and  Governor  that  they  should  make  a  Novena  to  this  patron 
saint  of  the  expeditions.  This  was  agreed  upon  and  the  Novena  was 
held  with  all  in  attendance.  When  it  was  concluded  the  daily  prayer  of 
the  Rosary  was  recited.  The  day  of  San  Jos^  arrived  and  the  feast  of 
this  great  Saint  was  celebrated  with  High  Mass  and  a  sermon,  everything 
having  been  already  prepared  for  the  retreat  the  following  day  toward 
Old  California.  But  that  same  afternoon  God  intervened  to  satisfy  the 
burning  desires  of  His  Servant  through  the  intercession  of  the  mqst 
Holy  Patriarch  and  to  give  comfort  to  all,  permitting  them  to  see  clearly 
and  distinctly  a  ship  which  being  hidden  from  sight  the  following  day 
did  not  come  to  anchor  until  the  fourth  day  in  the  port  of  San  Diego. 
This  vision  was  sufficient  to  suspend  the  plan  to  abandon  the  town  and 
the  Mission  and  all  were  encouraged  to  remain,  attributing  it  to  a 
miracle  wrought  by  the  Holy  Patriarch  on  this,  his  own  day,  the  last  in 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  93 

which  the  expedition  was  to  remain  in  that  place  before  leaving,  by 
permitting  them  all  to  see  the  vessel.  But  greater  still  was  their  wonder- 
ment when  they  had  certain  news  of  the  circimistances  which  had  con- 
curred to  bring  this  about,  but  before  going  on  to  tell  of  them  I  wish  to 
bring  to  the  pious  consideration  of  my  reader  the  peculiar  joy  and 
happiness  which  filled  the  heart  of  our  Venerable  Father  who,  without 
ceasing,  continued  to  give  thanks  to  God  and  also  to  the  blessed  Saint, 
the  Comfort  of  the  afflicted,  San  Jos6,  whom  He  honored  without  re- 
serve for  this  so  very  special  a  manifestation  of  goodness.  In  sign  of 
thankfulness  they  all  agreed  a  High  Mass  should  be  said,  in  honor  of 
San  Jos^,  and  that  the  same  should  be  celebrated  with  the  greatest 
solemnity  on  the  19th  of  each  month.  This,  the  Venerable  Father 
continued  to  do  with  the  most  holy  devotion  up  to  the  very  last  day  of 
his  life,  as  we  shall  see  in  due  time. 


94  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XXI 

The  Ship  Arrives  at  San  Diego  and  the  Vessels  and  the  Land  Expedition 
Start  out  in  Search  of  the  Port  of  Monterey, 

IT  has  already  been  related  in  Chapter  XVI  how  the  packet-boat  "San 
Antonio"  was  dispatched  early  in  July  of  the  year  1769  from  the 
port  of  San  Diego  to  that  of  San  Bias  in  search  of  a  crew  for  the  *'San 
Carlos"  and  of  provisions  for  all  and  how  after  twenty  days*  sail  an- 
chored in  the  latter  port  without  other  incident  than  the  death  on  the 
way  of  nine  of  the  seamen. 

As  soon  as  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  and  His  Honor,  the  Inspector- 
General,  received  the  documents  and  from  them  learned  that  the  land 
expedition  was  on  its  way  to  Monterey  and  that  on  account  of  the  lack 
of  a  crew  and  of  provisions  (which  lack  was  caused  by  the  failure  of  the 
third  vessel  to  put  in  an  appearance)  they  made  all  prompt  and  neces- 
sary arrangements  for  the  preparation  and  loading  of  the  packet-boat 
'*San  Antonio"  in  order  that  she  might  sail  directly  for  Monterey  with- 
out stopping  at  San  Diego  in  order  to  bring  needed  succor  to  the  land 
expedition. 

The  vessel  sailed  and  reached  the  latitude  of  Monterey  without 
incident,  but  at  about  eighty  leagues  from  that  place  they  found  them- 
selves short  of  water  and  decided  to  go  ashore  in  the  Channel  of  Santa 
Barbara  in  order  to  provide  themselves  with  this  indispensable  factor. 
On  going  ashore  the  Indians  came  about  them  in  their  little  canoes  show- 
ing great  friendliness  and  willingness  to  serve  them.  They  showed  them 
where  to  find  water  and  helped  them  to  fill  their  barrels.  Although 
they  did  not  know  our  language  they  made  themselves  clearly  under- 
stood by  signs,  communicating  to  the  men  of  the  ship  that  the  land 
expedition  had  retired,  that  is,  that  it  had  passed  twice  through  their 
villages  and  that  they  had  intercourse  with  them,  being  able  to  give  the 
names  of  some  of  the  soldiers.  This  news  put  Captain  Perez  in  great 
perplexity,  but  considering  that  he  was  compelled  by  the  order  of  his  su- 
periors to  go  on  and  that  he  should  give  more  weight  to  them  than  to  the 
statements  made  by  the  pagans  who  might  not  have  told  him  the  truth, 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  95 

he  determined  to  go  on  toward  Monterey.  But  it  happened  that  while 
getting  under  way  he  lost  one  of  the  anchors,  and  considering  that  he 
would  need  it  very  badly  in  the  port  whither  he  was  going,  he  felt  obliged 
to  change  his  purpose  and  go  back  to  San  Diego,  there  to  provide  him- 
self with  an  anchor  from  the  ''San  Carlos."  This  which  seemed  to  be  a 
mere  accident  is  the  reason  why  the  packet-boat  "  San  Antonio  "  arrived 
there  when  it  did  and  also  how  it  happened  that  she  could  be  seen  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  19th  of  March.  It  was  for  this  reason,  as  we  have  seen, 
that  the  Mission  and  Port  of  San  Diego  were  not  abandoned. 

As  this  vessel  arrived  well  loaded  with  provisions  it  was  determined 
by  both  the  land  and  the  sea  Commanders  to  make  a  new  expedition  in 
search  of  the  much  desired  Monterey.  The  packet-boat  "San  Antonio  " 
was  to  go  by  sea  and  in  it  our  Venerable  Father,  Fr.  Junipero.  The 
Governor  was  to  take  charge  of  the  land  expedition  with  all  those  others 
of  whom  Father  Crespi  speaks  in  his  diary.  Both  expeditions  set  out  in 
the  middle  of  April  and  it  was  from  on  board  ship  that  my  Revered 
Father  Lector  Junipero  wrote  me  the  following  letter  which  I  gladly 
insert,  as  from  its  contents  can  be  seen  what  was  the  ardent  and  burning 
zeal  for  the  conversion  of  souls  which  inflamed  his  heart. 

Long  Live  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph! — Reverend  Father  Lector  and  President, 
Fr.  Francisco  Palou.  Dearly  Beloved  Friend,  Companion,  and  Esteemed  Sir: 
The  "San  Antonio,"  formerly  called  "El  Principe,"  having  arrived  in  this  port  on 
the  day  of  San  Jos6  (although  in  fact  she  did  not  enter  the  port  until  four  days  later) , 
our  superiors,  the  commanders,  have  determined  upon  a  second  journey  to  Monterey. 
Fr.  Juan  Crespi  a  second  time  goes  by  land  and  I  make  the  voyage  by  sea.  While  we 
were  under  the  impression  that  there  was  no  hurry  (though  I  had  sent  aboard  what- 
ever I  wanted  to  take  along,  except  my  bed),  yesterday.  Holy  Saturday,  very  late  in 
the  evening,  I  received  notice  from  the  Captain,  our  friend  and  countryman,  Don 
Juan  P6rez,  that  we  must  embark  that  very  night.  I  went  on  board  and  now  we 
are  at  the  entrance  of  the  port.  The  men  have  been  setting  the  sails  in  order  ever 
since  I  celebrated  Holy  Mass  very  early  this  morning. 

Fathers  Parron  and  Gomez  stay  in  San  Diego  as  Missionaries,  and  some  of  the 
soldiers  will  share  the  hardships  with  them.  I  and  Fr.  Juan  Crespi  go  with  the 
intention  of  separating  (like  the  guards),  one  for  Monterey  and  the  other  for  San 
Buenaventura,  about  eighty  leagues  from  it,  lest  on  our  account  or  through  the  fault 
of  the  College  the  founding  of  that  thifd  Mission  in  this  New  California  be  frustrated. 
For  me  that  kind  of  solitude  will  indeed  be  the  greatest  hardship,  but  God  in  His 
mercy  will  make  good  the  los^.  If  I  should  not  have  an  opportunity  to  write  to  the 
College  and  to  the  Fr.  Guardian,  I  beg  your  Reverence  to  do  so  in  my  name,  giving 
an  account  of  all,  and  also  that  I  write  this  letter  with  considerable  difficulty  seated 
upon  the  floor.     In  the  same  way  I  have  written  the  enclosed  letter  to  his  most 


96  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Illustrious  Lordship.     It  is  very  brief,  but  gives  an  account  of  myself.     By  this  ship 
I  have  not  received  a  note  or  letter  from  anyone. 

Verbally  we  have  received  the  news  of  the  death  of  our  Holy  Father  and  Lord, 
Clement  XIII,  and  that  the  most  excellent  Lord  Ganganeli,  one  of  our  friars,  has 
been  elected.  Dominus  conservet  eum,^^  etc.  This  information  has  pleased  me 
very  much  in  my  solitude.  Likewise  I  have  heard  of  the  death  of  Fr.  Moran  for 
whom  we  are  bound  to  apply  the  Holy  Masses  according  to  agreement.  The  reason 
why  no  letters  have  arrived,  they  say,  is  because  this  ship  had  sailed  with  directions 
to  proceed  to  Monterey  without  stopping  here.  All  letters  intended  for  us  at  San 
Diego  were  therefore  left  behind,  in  order  that  the  "San  Jos^,"  which  is  destined  for 
this  place,  may  bring  them  up;  but  it  has  not  appeared,  and  in  the  opinion  of  the 
seamen,  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  will  come.  When  the  other  vessel  arrives,  since  it 
is  not  to  pass  on,  the  letters  will  remain  here  and  when  the  Fathers  have  read  them 
they  may  do  with  them  what  they  please,  for  I  do  not  know  when  other  ships  may 
reach  our  destination.  It  is  now  already  a  year  since  I  have  received  news  from  the 
College  and  from  the  Viceroy,  and  soon  it  will  be  a  year  since  I  received  the  last  from 
Your  Reverence.  Blessed  be  God,  when  there  is  occasion  I  will  deem  it  a  favor  if 
you  will  send  us  some  wax  for  the  Holy  Masses  and  some  incense.  Should  any  more 
Brethren  have  arrived  from  Spain,  I  recommend  myself  with  sincere  affection  to  all 
their  Reverences,  as  well  as  to  all  others. 

From  a  letter  written  from  Cape  St.  Lucas  by  Fr.  Murgula  to  Captain  Juan 
P^rez  I  learned  that  Fr.  Ramos  had  gone  to  Loreto,  called  there  by  your  Reverence 
for  some  business  matters.  This  information  gave  me  much  pleasure,  because  from 
it  I  see  that  your  Reverence  and  Fr.  Ramos  are  alive,  of  which  I  had  no  evidence  since 
I  left  Vellicatd,  or  San  Juan  Dios.  I  conclude  this  letter  to-day,  the  second  day  of 
Easter,  the  day  of  the  profession  of  our  Holy  Father  St.  Francis,  because,  owing  to  a 
change  of  wind,  we  did  not  sail  away  yesterday  evening.  Now,  about  seven  in  the 
morning,  we  have  just  passed  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  port,  and  we  are  towing  the 
launch  of  the  "San  Carlos "  to  whose  sailors,  God  willing,  I  shall  hand  this  letter  when 
they  depart,  in  order  that  they  may  take  it  to  the  Fathers  on  land,  who  can  deliver 
it  to  the  couriers  who  are  prepared  to  start  out  as  soon  as  the  expeditions  depart. 
Finally,  farewell,  my  dear  friend,  and  may  the  Divine  Majesty  unite  us  in  Heaven. 
To  Fr.  Ramos  and  Fr.  Murgula,  most  especial  regards.  To  all  I  shall  write  a  circular 
recommending  myself  to  their  prayers.  God  keep  your  Reverence  many  years  in 
His  holy  Love  and  Grace.  South  Sea,  in  front  of  the  Port  of  San  Diego,  April  i6,  of 
the  year  1770.     I  kiss  the  hand  of  your  Reverence. 

Your  most  affectionate  brother,  friend,  and  servant,  etc., 

Fr.  JuNfPERO  Serra. 

After  getting  out  to  sea  on  the  i6th  of  April,  and  leaving  the  port 
of  San  Diego  behind,  they  began  to  find  contrary  winds  which  obliged 
them  to  go  as  far  south  as  latitude  30,  but  having  made  farther  out  to 
sea,  and  found  better  winds,  they  arrived  without  incident,  after  forty- 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  97 

six  days  of  sailing,  at  the  port  of  Monterey,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  follow- 
ing chapter. 

The  land  expedition  feet  out  one  day  later  and  arrived  at  the  desired 
port  (the  same  which  they  had  failed  to  recognize  on  the  first  journey), 
after  traveling  thirty-eight  days  and  with  only  two  days  spent  in  rest- 
ing the  animals  on  the  road,  as  is  related  in  the  diary  of  Father  Crespi. 


98  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XXII 

The  Arrival  of  the  Expeditions  at  the  Fort  of  Monterey  and  the  Founding 
of  the  Mission  and  Garrison  of  San  Carlos. 

I  CAN  best  satisfy  the  reqtiirements  of  this  chapter  by  inserting  here 
the  following  letter  which  the  Venerable  Father  wrote  me  and  in 
which  he  tells  of  their  arrival  at  Monterey  and  of  the  activities  of  the 
expedition  in  that  port. 

Long  live  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph! — To  the  Reverend  Father  Lector  and 
President,  Fr.  Francisco  Palou — Dearly  Beloved  Friend  and  Respected  Sir:  On  the 

I  31st  of  May,  with  the  favor  of  God,  our  packet-boat,  "San  Antonio,"  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Don  Juan  P6rez,  after  a  month  and  a  half  of  rather  hard  sailing 
and  bad  weather,  anchored  in  this  beautiful  harbor  of  Monterey,  the  very  same 
harbor  and  unchanged  in  substance  and  circumstances  from  what  it  was  when  the 
expedition  of  Don  Sebastian  Vizcaino  left  it  in  the  year  1603.  To  this  comforting 
fact  there  has  been  added  this  other  one,  that  we  found  that  just  a  week  previously 
the  land  expedition  had  also  arrived  and  with  it  Father  Fr.  Juan,  all  in  good  health. 
On  the  holy  day  of  Pentecost,  the  3d  of  June,  after  having  gathered  together  all  the 
officers  of  sea  and  land  and  all  the  rest  of  the  people  by  the  side  of  the  little  ravine 

♦  and  oak  where  the  Fathers  of  that  other  expedition  had  held  their  celebration,  an 
altar  was  erected,  the  bells  were  hung  up  and  rung,  the  hymn  Vent  Creator  was  sung 
and  the  water  blessed,  and  finally  a  large  cross  was  erected  and  the  royal  standard  set 
up.  I  then  sang  the  first  Mass  which  we  supposed  has  been  celebrated  here  since 
that  long  ago,  and  then  we  sang  the  Hail  to  Our  Lady  before  the  image  of  our  Most 
Illustrious  Queen  which  occupied  the  altar.  After  that  I  preached  a  sermon  to  the 
assembled  people.  After  the  service  had  been  concluded  with  the  Te  Deum  the 
officers  performed  the  ceremony  of  taking  formal  possession  of  the  land  in  the  name 
of  the  King,  our  lord  (whom  may  God  keep).  We  afterwards  ate  our  dinner  together 
under  a  shade  on  the  beach.  The  whole  service  had  been  accompanied  with  much 
thunder  of  powder  both  on  land  and  from  the  ship.  To  God  alone  be  given  all  the 
honor  and  the  glory.  As  regards  the  fact  that  this  port  could  not  be  found  by  the 
members  of  the  other  expedition  and  that  they  had  given  it  out  that  it  no  longer 
existed,  I  have  nothing  to  say,  nor  is  it  incumbent  upon  me  to  judge  in  the  matter. 
Let  it  be  sufficient  to  know  that  it  has  at  last  been  found  and  that,  although  tardily, 
the  wishes  of  His  Excellency,  the  Inspector-General,  have  been  carried  out,  as  we 
all  desire  with  him  the  success  of  this  Spiritual  Conquest. 

It  is  just  a  year  last  month  since  I  received  my  last  letter  from  Christian  people, 
so  your  Reverence  can  well  imagine  how  hungry  we  are  for  news,  but  for  all  that,  I 
only  desire  when  occasion  may  permit  to  know  how  it  is  with  your  Reverence  and 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  99 

with  my  Companions,  what  may  be  the  name  of  His  Holiness,  the  reigning  Pope,  that 
we  can  mention  him  by  name  in  the  canon  of  the  Mass,  whether  the  canonization 
of  the  blessed  Joseph  Cupertino  and  Serafino  de  Asculi  has  taken  place,  and  if  there 
be  any  others  who  have  been  beatified  or  canonized  in  order  to  put  them  in  the 
calendar  and  to  say  the  prayers  that  pertain  to  them.  We  have  quite  bade  good-bye 
long  ago  to  our  printed  calendars.  I  should  also  like  to  know  if  it  is  true  that  the 
Indians  killed  Father  Fr.  Joseph  Soler  in  Sonora,  or  Pimeria,  and  how  it  happened, 
and  also  if  there  be  any  other  dead  among  my  acquaintances  that  I  may  commend 
them  to  God.  And  now  only  this  also,  that  your  Reverence  send  such  other  word  as 
might  bring  comfort  to  us  poor  hermits  so  far  separated  from  human  society. 

Another  thing  which  I  much  desire  to  know  is  concerning  the  Missionaries  from 
Spain.  I  earnestly  entreat  your  Reverence  that  you  secure  two  subjects  for  these 
Missions  in  order  that  with  the  four  who  are  here  we  may  complete  the  number 
(six)  and  equip  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura  in  the  channel  of  Santa  Barbara, 
as  the  location  is  much  more  advantageous  than  that  of  San  Diego  or  Monterey  or 
any  other  point  so  far  discovered.  Provisions  have  already  been  sent  twice  for  this 
Mission  and  now,  since  the  failure  to  establish  it  could  not  be  blamed  in  any  way  to 
the  friars,  I  do  not  want  the  blame  to  fall  upon  us  when  the  proper  military  protection 
is  at  hand  for  its  inauguration.  The  truth  is  that  as  long  as  Father  Fr.  Juan  and 
myself  are  in  good  health  the  founding  will  not  be  delayed  because  we  shall  separate 
and  go  each  one  to  his  own  Mission,  but  it  will  be  the  greatest  of  all  hardships  for  me 
to  be  located  in  a  place  from  which  the  nearest  friar  is  eighty  leagues  distant.  I 
therefore  beg  your  Reverence  that  you  do  what  you  can  to  shorten  this  period  of 
cruel  solitude.  Father  Lasuen  much  desires  to  come  to  these  Missions,  so  please 
have  him  in  mind  when  the  question  comes  up  as  to  what  ministers  may  be  assigned. 

We  are  woefully  lacking  in  wax  for  our  Masses,  both  here  and  in  San  Diego;  I 
however,  we  are  going  to  celebrate  the  feast  and  procession  of  Corpus  Christi  to-mor- 
row, although  with  little  ostentation,  in  order  to  frighten  away  how  many  soever 
little  devils  there  may  be  lurking  in  this  region.  If  there  is  any  way  to  send  the  wax 
it  would  come  very  handy.  Please  send  also  the  incense  which  I  asked  for  on  another 
occasion.  You  will  not  fail  to  inform  His  Excellency  of  the  good  news  of  the  dis- 
covery of  this  port,  and  I  am  sure  that  you  will  also  not  fail  to  ever  commend  us  to 
God.  May  He  keep  your  Reverence  many  years  in  His  holy  love  and  grace.  Mis- 
sion of  San  Carlos  of  Monterey,  June,  on  the  feast  of  San  Antonio  of  Padua,  1770.  | 
I  kiss  the  hand  of  your  Reverence. 

Your  afifectionate  Friend,  Companion  and  Servant, 

Fr.  JuNfPERO  Serra. 

On  the  same  day  in  which  possession  was  taken  of  the  port,  and  the 
royal  garrison  of  San  Carlos  was  begun,  the  Mission  was  founded  under  » 
the  same  name,  and  next  to  the  garrison  a  little  chapel  was  built  with 
a  stockade  for  a  provisional  church.  A  house  was  also  erected  with 
the  necessary  rooms  for  the  dwelling-place  of  the  Fathers  and  for  the 
offices.    Both  establishments  were  surroimded  with  a  stockade  for  de- 


loo  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

fense.  The  pagans  had  not  yet  put  in  an  appearance  as  they  were 
greatly  frightened  by  the  discharge  of  the  artillery  and  the  rattle  of  the 
musketry  of  the  troops;  but  little  by  little,  they  begun  to  draw  near  and 
the  Venerable  Father  made  them  little  presents  in  order  to  win  them 
and  to  secure  their  entrance  into  the  fold  of  Holy  Church  and  the  saving 
of  their  souls  which  was  the  pr^cipal  object  of  all  his  plans. 

The  next  day  after  the  feast  of  Corpus  Christi  to  which  the  Ven- 
erable Servant  of  God  refers  in  the  letter  already  inserted,  a  courier  was 

/  dispatched  by  land  with  the  docimients  for  His  Excellency  and  for  His 
Lordship,  the  Inspector-General,  conveying  information  concerning  all 
that  had  happened,  and  by  the  same  conduct  he  sent  me  the  above 
letter  which  I  received  on  the  2d  of  August,  being  at  the  time  in  the 
Mission  of  Todos  Santos  in  the  south  of  California  [the  Peninsula],  five 
hundred  and  sixty  leagues  from  the  port  of  Monterey.  These  the 
courier  had  traveled  in  a  month  and  a  half,  having  stopped  for  four 
days  at  San  Diego.  The  documents  for  His  Excellency  were  sent  by 
laimch  to  San  Bias;  but  the  Commander  of  the  expedition,  in  obedience 
to  orders  received,  had  sailed  from  Monterey  on  the  9th  of  July  and 
had  arrived  at  that  port  on  the  ist  of  August  so  that  it  was  through  his 
<  letters  which  he  sent  immediately  that  the  news  first  reached  Mexico 
City,  as  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  received  them  on  the  loth  of  the 
same  month,  and  ordered  that  this  very  welcome  news,  together  with 
his  own  expressions  of  gratitude  and  pleasure,  should  be  made  public. 
Don  Pedro  Pages,  lieutenant  of  the  volimteers  from  Cataluna,  re- 
mained in  command  of  the  new  garrison  of  San  Carlos  in  Monterey;  and 
as  he  considered  that  he  was  very  short  of  troops,  resolved,  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  the  Venerable  President,  to  suspend  the  founding  of  the  Mis- 

X  sion  of  San  Buenaventura  until  a  captain  could  arrive,  with  nineteen 
soldiers,  who  had  gone  down  into  Old  California  in  the  month  of  Febru- 
ary to  bring  back  the  cattle.  But  the  captain  with  the  troop  and  cattle 
came  up  only  as  far  as  San  Diego  and  sent  us  no  further  word  until  the 
following  year  when  he  communicated  with  us  by  ship,  as  we  shall  see 
later.  Seeing  that  for  these  reasons  the  third  Mission  could  not  be 
begun,  our  Venerable  Father,  with  his  disciple  Fr.  Juan  Crespi,  de- 
voted themselves  to  the  conversion  of  the  Indians  of  Monterey;  but  as 
there  was  no  one  who  knew  their  language  they  encountered  many  difii- 
ctdties  at  first,  but  finally  God  willed  it  that  a  door  should  be  opened 
by  means  of  a  converted  Indian  boy  whom  they  had  brought  from  Old 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPEkO  SERRA  ,   :  tpi 

California,  who,  through  the  many  conferences  which  the  Venerable  ^ 
Fr.  Junipero  had  him  conduct  with  these  pagans,  began  to  understand 
them  and  to  pronounce  a  few  words  in  their  language.  When  he  could 
explain  to  them  what  was  said  he  gave  them  to  understand  that  the 
purpose  of  the  Fathers  in  coming  to  their  land  was  to  direct  their  souls 
into  the  way  of  heaven. 

It  was  on  the  26th  of  December  of  the  same  year  that  the  first  bap- 
tism was  celebrated  among  these  gentile  people  and  it  was  for  the  fervent 
and  devoted  heart  of  our  Venerable  Father  a  source  of  unbounded  joy. 
Little  by  little  others  were  won  and  the  ntimber  of  Christians  increased 
so  that  three  years  later  when  I  came  up  to  that  Mission  there  were  in  all 
one  hundred  and  sixty-five;  and  when  the  Venerable  Founder  Junipero  ^ 
terminated  his  glorious  career  he  left  one  thousand  and  fourteen  bap- 
tized souls  of  whom  many  had  already  passed  on  to  enjoy  God  and 
eternal  life,  as  the  fruitage  of  his  incessant  and  Apostolic  labors. 

One  of  the  things  that  had  greatly  helped  in  these  conversions,  or 
perhaps  I  had  better  say,  that  was  the  principal  foundation  of  this  most 
important  Conquest,  was  the  strange  marvels  and  prodigies  which  God, 
our  Lord,  had  wrought  in  the  eyes  of  the  gentiles  that  they  might  fear 
and  also  learn  to  love  the  Catholics:  Fear,  to  restrain  them  so  that  in 
spite  of  their  nimibers  far  in  excess  of  the  little  group  of  Christians, 
they  showed  us  no  insolence;  and  Love,  which  brought  them  to  hear 
with  affection  the  gospel  doctrine  which  we  had  come  to  teach  them, 
and  to  embrace  the  gentle  yoke  of  our  holy  law. 

In  his  diary  of  the  second  land  expedition  to  the  port  of  Monterey, 
Father  Crespi  writes,  under  the  date  of  the  24th  of  May,  as  foUows: 

After  traveling  about  three  leagues  we  arrived  at  one  o'clock  at  the  little  salt 
water  lakes  near  Pt.  Pinos,  toward  the  northeast,  where  in  the  first  journey  the  second 
cross  had  been  set  up.  Before  making  camp,  the  Governor,  one  of  the  soldiers  and 
myself  went  on  to  see  the  cross  in  order  to  find  out  if  there  was  any  sign  by  which  we 
might  know  if  those  of  the  vessel  had  already  arrived,  but  nothing  of  the  sort  was 
found.  We  found  the  cross  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  arrows  and  little  branches 
with  many  feathered  crests,  stuck  up  in  the  ground,  which  had  been  put  there  by  the 
gentiles. '  There  was  also  a  string  of  sardines  still  somewhat  fresh  hanging  from  a 
branch  by  the  side  of  the  cross,  on  another  was  a  piece  of  meat  and  at  the  foot  of  the 
cross  there  was  a  little  pile  of  mussels. 

All  this  excited  great  wonderment  but  as  none  could  explain  it 
they  suspended  judgment. 

As  soon  as  the  new  converts  who  had  been  baptized  could  suffi- 


iQij  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

ciently  make  themselves  understood  in  Spanish  and  when  the  Cali- 
fomian  neophyte  cotild  understand  their  language  they  several  times 
gave  us  the  following  explanations.  They  said  that  the  first  time  they 
saw  any  of  our  people  they  noticed  that  all  of  them  wore  upon  the  breast 
a  very  brilliant  cross,  and  when  they  had  gone  away,  leaving  that  large 
cross  standing  on  the  shore,  so  great  was  the  fear  it  inspired  in  them 
that  none  of  them  dared  to  go  near  to  that  Sacred  Symbol  because 
they  saw  it,  after  the  sun  had  set  and  the  shades  of  night  had  come  on, 
filled  with  the  splendors  of  a  great  Light  which  seemed  to  them  to  make 
it  grow  as  it  were  until  it  reached  up  to  the  very  heaven.  But  when  they 
drew  near  to  it  by  day,  when  these  strange  appearances  were  absent, 
anjd  it  was  seen  in  its  natural  form  they  tried  to  win  its  favor  in  order 
that  it  might  not  do  them  any  harm,  so  they  had  brought  it  this  offering 
of  meat,  fish,  and  mussels,  and  when  in  wonderment  they  noted  that  it 
did  not  eat  anything  they  made  the  offering  of  the  arrows  and  the 
feathered  crests  as  a  sign  that  they  wished  to  make  peace  with  the  Holy 
Cross  and  with  the  people  who  had  put  it  there. 

This  strange  declaration  was  repeated  by  several  of  the  Indians  (as 
I  have  said)  on  different  occasions  and  last  of  all  in  the  year  1774  when 
the  Venerable  Father  President  returned  from  Mexico.  They  told  him 
the  same  story  that  they  had  told  me  the  previous  year  without  the 
slightest  variation.  This  the  Servant  of  God  communicated  to  His 
Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  for  his  edification,  in  order  to  increase  his  fer- 
vor and  activity  in  carrying  out  the  plans  of  this  spiritual  enterprise. 
As  a  result  of  this  prodigy  and  of  many  others  which  the  Lord  wrought, 
the  conversion  of  the  gentiles  was  accomplished  most  peacefully  and 
without  war's  alarms.  Blessed  be  God  to  whom  be  all  the  glory  and 
praise. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  103 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

Devout  Expressions  of  His  Excellency ,  the  Marquis  de  Croix,  on  Receiving 
the  News  of  the  Discovery  of  Monterey. 

OF  so  great  importance,  for  the  greater  glory  of  God,  the  extension 
of  our  Holy  Catholic  faith  in  the  most  northerly  of  the  Califomias  1 
and  the  honor  of  our  Catholic  monarch,  did  they  consider  this  establish- 
ment of  the  port  of  Monterey  that  their  Excellencies,  the  Viceroy, 
Marquis  de  Croix,  and  the  illustrious  Inspector-General,  Don  Jos^deGal- 
vez,  could  not  withhold  the  great  joy  with  which  this  word  had  been 
received  into  their  noble  hearts,  on  the  loth  of  August  of  the  year  1770, 
concerning  the  founding  in  the  said  port  of  the  Mission  and  garrison 
of  San  Carlos  and  they  ordered  that  the  news  should  be  published  in  the 
populous  city  of  Mexico,  capital  of  New  Spain.  They  asked  that  the  \ 
Dean  of  the  Cathedral  order  a  solemn  ringing  of  the  bells,  which  was 
answered  from  the  towers  of  all  other  churches,  both  of  the  secular  and 
of  the  regular  Orders,  awakening  a  general  spirit  of  joy  among  all  the 
inhabitants.  People  began  to  ask  one  another  what  the  good  news  was 
and  when  they  were  informed  they  joined  His  Excellency  in  his  re- 
joicing, entering  the  palace  and  presenting  their  congratulations,  the 
which  he  received  in  company  with  His  Honor,  the  Inspector-General, 
principal  agent  in  these  Spiritual  Conquests,  and  who,  in  order  to  carry 
out  the  plans,  had  worked  more  than  any  one  else,  not  feeling  it  beneath 
his  dignity  as  a  gentleman  in  these  special  circimistances  to  do  the  , 
work  of  a  common  laborer  in  the  repairing  of  the  ships  and  in  packing 
with  his  own  hands  the  utensils  which  were  to  serve  in  the  Missions. 
Now  that  they  saw  realized  the  fruit  of  their  great  labors  both  gentlemen 
rendered  thanks  to  God  for  this  happy  success  of  the  Conquest  and  the 
expedition  undertaken  for  this  end,  by  which  the  dominions  of  our 
Catholic  monarch  have  been  extended  for  more  than  three  hundred 
leagues  along  the  coast  toward  the  north  in  this  America. 

The  above  mentioned  stretch  of  three  hundred  leagues  is  composed 
of  fertile  territory,  populated  with  innumerable  gentile  people  whose 
nauuicil  docility  and  peaceful  habits  are  a  ground  of  hope  that  they  will 


I04  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

soon  be  converted  to  our  Holy  Faith  and  be  gathered  together  into 
CathoHc  towns,  and  so,  living  in  subjection  to  the  royal  crown  may 
secure  these  coasts  of  the  Southern  or  Pacific  Ocean  to  the  royal  stand- 
ard. In  thanksgiving  for  this  so  great  and  happy  achievement,  the 
aforesaid  gentlemen  determined  that  on  the  next  day  after  receiving 
the  news  a  solemn  Mass  should  be  sung  in  the  cathedral.  Both  of  them 
attended  the  same,  accompanied  by  all  the  court  and  tribunal,  and  when 
it  was  over  the  good  wishes  of  the  principal  people  of  the  city  were 
again  presented  to  His  Excellency  who  received  them  in  the  name  of 
our  Catholic  monarch. 

As  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  was  desirous  that  not  only  the  in- 
habitants of  the  city  of  Mexico,  but  that  all  the  people  of  New  Spain, 
shotdd  be  informed  of  these  glad  tidings,  he  ordered  printed  and  circu- 
lated throughout  the  kingdom  the  following  account,  which  it  has 
seemed  to  me  should  be  here  inserted  because  in  it  is  clearly  revealed 
the  religious  fervor  of  our  Venerable  Father  Junipero  and  the  high  es- 
teem in  which  he  was  held  by  these  gentlemen  as  an  exemplary  and 
zealous  worker. 

"COPY  OF  THE  PRINTED  ACCOUNT." 

An  abbreviated  account  concerning  the  port  of  Monterey  and  the  Mission  and 
Garrison  which  have  been  therein  established  under  the  name  of  San  Carlos  and  of  the 
success  of  the  land  and  sea  expeditions  which  for  this  purpose  were  sent  out  in  the  pre- 
ceding year,  176Q. 

As  a  result  of  the  several  expeditions  which  the  Crown  of  Spain  made  at  great 
cost  in  the  two  preceding  centuries  for  the  exploring  of  the  west  coast  of  California, 
in  the  South  Sea,  and  for  the  occupying  of  the  important  port  of  Monterey,  this  great 
enterprise  has  now  at  last  been  successfully  accomplished  through  the  work  of  two 
land  and  sea  expeditions,  which  in  obedience  to  Royal  Orders  and  under  the  decree  of 
this  Supreme  Regency  were  sent  out  from  Cape  St.  Lucas  and  the  garrison  of  Loreto 
in  the  months  of  January,  February  and  March  of  the  preceding  year. 

Both  expeditions  met  in  June  of  the  same  year  in  the  port  of  San  Diego,  situated 
at  latitude  32  j^  degrees.  Here  it  was  found  necessary  to  send  the  packet-boat  . 
"San  Antonio"  back  to  the  port  of  San  Bias  in  order  to  obtain  reinforcements  for  her 
crew  and  to  bring  out  a  new  supply  of  provisions.  The  flagship,  called  "San  Carlos," 
remained  anchored  in  the  port  of  San  Diego  because  of  a  lack  of  marines,  many  of 
them  having  died  of  scurvy.  The  expedition,  after  establishing  a  Mission  and 
leaving  a  guard,  went  on  by  land  through  the  interior  of  the  country  as  far  north  as 
latitude  37  degrees  45  min.  in  search  of  Monterey,  but  when  they  could  not  find  it 
by  means  of  the  land-marks  given  of  the  former  trails  and  ancient  charts,  and  ';.  '  ^z 
a  scarcity  of  provisions,  they  returned  to  San  Diego.     Upon  the  opportune  arrival  of 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  105 

the  packet-boat  "San  Antonio"  in  March  of  the  present  year  the  two  Commanders 
decided  to  undertake  the  journey  for  a  second  time,  following  out  the  instructions 
which  they  had  received  for  this  end. 

Both  expeditions  therefore  left  San  Diego,  one  on  the  i6th  and  one  on  the  17th 
of  April,  and  in  this  second  attempt  the  land  expedition  had  the  joy  of  discovering 
the  port  of  Monterey  and  of  arriving  there  on  the  24th  of  May,  while  the  sea  expedi- 
tion arrived  also  one  week  later. 

When  that  port  had  been  occupied  to  the  great  pleasure  of  the  innumerable 
gentiles  who  inhabit  that  country,  already  well  explored  and  reconnoitered  during 
the  two  journeys,  solemn  possession  of  the  land  was  taken  on  the  3d  of  June  by  an 
official  act  which  the  Commander-in-chief  drew  up  and  which  was  certified  to  by  the 
other  Officials  of  both  expeditions,  in  which  all  declare  that  this  is  the  very  port  of 
Monterey  as  indicated  by  all  the  land-marks  described  in  the  ancient  records  made  by 
General  Don  Sebastian  Vizcaino  and  the  chart  drawn  by  Don  Joseph  Cabrera  Bueno, 
first  pilot  of  the  Philippine  Navy. 

On  the  14th  of  the  month  of  June  the  commander,  Don  Caspar  de  Portold, 
dispatched  a  courier  by  land  to  the  garrison  of  Loreto  with  this  welcome  news  of  the 
occupation  of  Monterey  and  of  the  establishing  there  of  the  Mission  and  Garrison  of 
San  Carlos,  but  owing  to  the  great  distance  which  must  be  traveled,  this  supreme 
regency  has  not  yet  received  those  documents,  but  on  the  loth  of  the  present  month 
couriers  arrived  in  this  city  from  the  port  of  San  Bias  whom  this  same  captain  had 
sent  on  his  arrival  there  together  with  the  engineer  Don  Miguel  Constanzo  and 
Captain  Don  Juan  P6rez,  commander  of  the  packet-boat  "San  Antonio,"  formerly 
called  "El  Principe,"  which  had  sailed  on  the  9th  of  July  from  Monterey  and  which, 
in  spite  of  a  week  of  calm,  made  the  long  voyage  without  incident  and  with  great 
speed,  anchoring  on  the  ist  of  the  present  month  in  San  Bias. 

The  new  garrison  and  Mission  of  San  Carlos  of  Monterey  were  left  abundantly 
supplied  with  provisions  for  a  year  in  order  that  another  Mission  may  be  established 
at  a  proper  distance  under  the  patronage  of  San  Buenaventura.  The  military  com- 
mander of  these  new  establishments  is  the  Lieutenant  of  volunteers  from  Catalufia, 
Don  Pedro  Pages,  who  has  with  him  more  than  thirty  men.  By  this  time  it  is  hoped 
that  the  captain  from  the  garrison  of  Loreto,  Don  Fernando  de  Rivera,  with  nineteen 
other  soldiers  will  have  joined  him,  bringing  with  him  herdsmen  and  muleteers  who 
were  to  drive  thither  two  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  to  take  with  them  provisions 
from  the  new  Mission  of  San  Fernando  de  Vellicatd,  situated  within  the  frontier  of 
Old  California,  for  they  are  known  to  have  left  that  camp  on  the  23d  of  May  last 
destined  for  the  above  mentioned  ports  of  San  Diego  and  Monterey. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  in  this  latter  place  store-houses  had  been  built  and  well 
stocked  for  the  use  of  the  new  garrison  and  Mission  before  the  departure  of  the 
packet-boat  "San  Antonio"  and  also  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  in  San  Diego  there  lie 
at  anchor  the  other  two  packet-boats  of  his  Majesty,  "San  Carlos"  and  "San  Jos^," 
this  Supreme  Regency  decrees  that  at  the  end  of  October  next  the  "San  Antonio" 
shall  undertake  a  third  voyage  from  the  port  of  San  Bias  carrying  new  provisions  and 
thirty  friars  from  the  College  of  San  Fernando,  the  last  of  the  Missionaries  to  come 
from  Spain,  in  order  that  in  that  widely  extended  and  fertile  country  as  explored  by 
the  land  expedition  from  the  frontier  of  Old  California  as  far  north  as  the  port  of  San 


io6  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Francisco,  not  far  distant  and  to  the  north  of  Monterey,  new  Missions  may  be  erected 
and  the  most  desirable  opportunity  for  the  conversion  of  the  gentiles  who  inhabit 
Upper  California  may  be  well  improved,  seeing  that  with  good  will  and  meekness 
they  seek  our  friendship. 

As  a  proof  of  the  very  happy  disposition  with  which  these  numerous  gentile 
people  show  their  docility  the  Commander,  Don  Caspar  de  Portold,  assures  us,  and  in 
this  the  other  officials  and  the  Missionary  Fathers  agree,  that  our  Spanish  people  are 
quite  as  safe  in  Monterey  as  if  they  were  in  the  streets  of  this  Capital  City,  but  none 
the  less  the  new  garrison  has  been  left  sufficiently  furnished  with  artillery,  troops  and 
abundant  supplies  of  war.  The  Reverend  Father  President  of  the  Missions,  himself 
writing  from  Monterey,  tells  us  in  detail  and  with  great  joy  of  the  good  will  of  the 
Indians  and  of  the  promises  they  have  made  him  that  they  will  bring  him  their 
children  that  they  may  be  instructed  in  the  mysteries  of  our  Holy  and  Catholic 
religion;  and  this  exemplary  and  zealous  Missionary  adds  the  detailed  account  of  the 
solemn  Masses  which  have  been  celebrated  since  the  arrival  of  both  expeditions  up 
to  the  time  of  the  departure  of  the  packet-boat,  and  of  the  solemn  procession  of  the 
Most  Holy  Sacrament  which  was  celebrated  on  the  Day  of  Corpus  Christi,  14th  of 
June,  with  other  minor  details  which  go  to  prove  the  special  Providence  with  which 
God  has  deigned  to  favor  the  success  of  these  expeditions,  in  reward,  no  doubt,  for 
the  ardent  zeal  of  our  Most  August  Sovereign  whose  incomparable  piety  recognizes 
as  the  first  obligation  of  the  Royal  Crown  in  these  vast  dominions,  the  extension  of  the 
faith  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  happiness  of  these  same  gentiles  who  groan  in  their 
ignorance  under  the  tyrannous  slavery  of  a  common  enemy. 

In  order  not  to  retard  the  publication  of  this  important  news,  this  brief  account 
of  the  expedition  has  been  prepared  without  waiting  for  the  documents  dispatched 
by  land  from  Monterey,  from  which,  when  they  come,  together  with  the  diaries  of 
the  two  expeditions,  a  full  account  can  later  be  prepared  of  all  that  has  been  done. 
Mexico,  i6th  of  August,  1770. —  By  order  and  license  of  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy. 
From  the  press  of  the  Government. 

This  account,  when  printed,  was  greatly  appreciated  by  the  public 
and  was  widely  circiilated  in  New  as  well  as  in  Old  Spain,  v^t  says 
quite  sufficient  to  make  known  the  very  high  esteem  in  which  the  Com- 
manders-in-chief of  the  New  World  held  our  Venerable  Father  Jimipero, 
although  they  were  quite  ignorant  of  the  firm  resolve  he  had  formed 
when  he  was  in  San  Diego  that  he  woiild  not  desist  from  this  so  important  , 
and  great  a  Spiritual  Conquest,  although  the  expedition  should  return  to 
Old  California,  as  we  have  already  explained  in  Chapter  XX  of  this 
history.  And  this  good  opinion  of  him  contributed  not  a  little  toward 
the  sectuing  of  the  efficient  measures  which  the  Viceregal  Government 
dictated  for  the  supplying  of  what  was  needed  for  the  new  establish- 
ments, as  will  be  seen  in  the  following  chapter. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  .     107 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

Adequate   Dispositions    Which   His   Excellency   Ordered  for  the   Better 

Equipment  of  the  New  Missions,  in  Accord  with  the  Report 

of  the  Venerable  Father  President,  Fr.  Junipero. 

AS  the  vessel  had  to  remain  a  short  time  in  the  new  harbor  of  Mon- 
terey, the  Venerable  Father  had  sufficient  opportunity  to  explore 
not  only  the  port  itself  but  its  surrounding  territory,  and,  owing  to  his 
practical  and  skillful  knowledge  of  such  matters,  he  immediately  decided 
that  the  place  called  San  Carlos  was  not  suitable  for  the  establishing  of 
the  Mission  because  it  was  lacking  in  the  necessary  lands  for  the  fields 
and  also  of  water  for  irrigation,  but  that  at  a  distance  of  a  league,  on  the 
shores  of  the  Carmel  River,  these  conditions  were  amply  provided  in 
accordance  with  the  requirements  of  the  laws  for  the  Indians  in  the 
establishing  of  towns  and  Mission  compounds.  He  gave  a  detailed 
account  of  all  this  in  letters  sent  to  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  and  to 
His  Lordship,  the  Inspector-General,  begging  them  to  permit  the  trans- 
fer of  the  Mission  from  San  Carlos  to  the  banks  of  the  Carmel  River. 

He  also  informied  them  concerning  the  vast  number  of  pagan  people 
which  the  expedition  had  discovered  in  the  wide  stretch  of  more  than 
three  hundred  leagues  which  lie  between  the  frontier  Mission  of  San 
Fernando  Vellicatd  and  the  port  of  San  Francisco,  indicating  also  that 
there  were  many  beautiful  sites  in  those  lands  for  the  founding  of  towns  i 
and  Missions  so  that  in  them  there  could  be  constructed  a  long  chain  of 
Missions,  almost  all  of  them  on  the  coast,  which  would  be  not  only  con- 
venient for  the  sake  of  better  communication  but  necessary  for  the  con- 
version to  God  of  innumerable  souls  which,  now  lying  buried  in  the  dark- 
ness of  paganism,  might  be  eternally  lost  through  the  lack  of  those  who 
might  point  out  to  them  the  true  light  of  oiu:  Catholic  religion.  In  order 
to  carry  out  these  important  plans  it  would  be  necessary  to  have  many 
Gospel  Workers  come  out  with  all  the  necessary  equipment  of  vestments 
and  holy  vessels  for  the  Chvirch,  as  well  as  utensils  for  the  houses  and 
implements  for  the  field  in  order  to  introduce  the  new  converts  to  the 
labor  of  cultivating  the  fields,  and  in  order  that  in  this  way,  with  the 


io8  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


harvests  which  might  be  gathered,  they  could  leam  to  live  as  civilized 
people  and  not  as  Indians,  as  they  had  been  doing  with  their  wild  seeds 
which  the  country  produces  almost  by  itself,  and  so  secure  little  by 
little  their  real  culture  and  progress. 

He  wrote  also  to  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian  of  the  College  in  the 
same  tenor,  adding  that  even  if  one  hundred  Holy  Men  from  the  Order 
were  to  come  out  there  would  be  work  for  all  on  account  of  the  very 
abundant  harvest  which  God  had  placed  there  in  the  sight  of  the  College 
of  San  Fernando.  There  had  just  come  out  to  it  from  Spain,  almost  at 
the  very  time  in  which  the  Venerable  Father  forwarded  this  information, 
forty-nine  friars  of  the  Order,  the  exact  date  of  their  arrival  being  the 
29th  of  May,  of  the  year  1770. 

As  soon  as  His  Excellency  received  this  information  and  His  Lord- 
ship, the  Inspector-General,  Don  Jos6  de  Galvez,  received  the  other 
letter  of  the  same  import,  the  two  men,  moved  by  an  ardent  zeal  for  the 
conversion  and  salvation  of  soiils,  sent  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Father  Guar- 
dian of  San  Fernando  asking  that  thirty  friars  of  the  Order  be  sent  out, 
« ten  of  them  for  the  other  Missions  of  this  New  California  besides  those 
already  established  under  the  names  of  San  Diego,  San  Carlos  and  San 
Buenaventura;  namely,  the  one  to  be  established  under  the  name  of 
•  Our  Father,  San  Francisco,  another  under  the  name  of  Santa  Clara, 
another  under  the  name  of  San  Gabriel  Arcdngel,  another  under  the 
name  of  San  Antonio  de  Padua  and  still  another  under  the  name  of  San 
Luis  Obispo  de  Tolosa. 

Other  ten  were  to  be  assigned  to  the  five  new  Missions  in  the  country 
which  lies  between  San  Fernando  Vellicatd  and  San  Diego,  with  the 
names,  respectively,  of  San  Joaquin,  Santa  Anna,  San  Juan  Capistrano, 
San  Pasqual  Baylon,  and  San  Felix  de  Cantalicio.  The  ten  remaining 
Missionaries  were  to  go  as  Companions  to  those  workers  who  were  alone 
in  the  old  Missions.  In  view  of  this  Catholic  request  of  His  Excellency 
the  Rev.  Father  Guardian  and  councillors  named,  from  among  the  friars 
who  voluntarily  offered  themselves,  the  number  required  as  above  and 
communicated  the  same  to  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy. 

As  soon  as  His  Excellency  received  this  announcement  from  the 
College  he  made  the  necessary  provisions  for  the  carrying  out  of  the 
order;  namely,  the  delivery  to  them  of  all  the  vestments,  holy  vessels, 
bells,  and  other  accessories  for  the  Churches  and  vestries  of  the  ten 
Missions.     He  also  ordered  the  payment  to  the  treasury  of  the  College 


I 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  109' 

of  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  pesos,  one  thousand  for  each  Mission,  in 
order  that  other  necessary  equipment  might  be  procured  for  the  Church, 
the  house  and  the  field.  He  also  ordered  that  for  the  expenses  of  the 
journey  four  hundred  pesos  should  be  delivered  for  each  one  of  the  Mis- 
sionaries, as  a  stipend,  to  begin  counting  from  the  day  of  their  departure 
from  San  Fernando.  At  the  same  time,  His  Excellency  ordered  the 
naval  commissary  of  San  Bias  to  get  ready  the  packet-boat  '*  San  Carlos  " 
(which  had  arrived  at  that  port  after  the  arrival  of  the  "  San  Antonio  ")» 
to  make  the  voyage  to  Loreto,  carrying  the  twenty  Missionaries,  and  the 
**San  Antonio"  carrying  the  other  ten  to  sail  trom  Monterey  ana  tnat 
both  the  vessels  should  provide  the  necessary  daily  food  for  the  friars 
when  on  the  journey,  at  the  expense  of  the  royal  treasury.  And,  finally, 
that  they  should  try  to  take  on  board  as  large  a  supply  of  provisions  as 
it  was  possible  to  carry.  All  this  was  carried  out,  as  we  shall  see  in  the 
following  chapter,  and  it  was  due  to  these  reports  of  the  Father  Junipero 
that  all  these  necessary  provisions  were  obtained,  and  as  well  to  the  most 
earnest  prayers  which  this  loving  servant  never  ceased  to  put  up  to  the 
Throne  of  Grace  asking  that  laborers  should  be  sent  to  God's  vineyard, 
while  at  the  same  time  doing  his  utmost  to  win  the  good  will  of  the  gentile 
people  gathered  about  the  port  of  Monterey. 


no  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XXV 

Voyages  of  the  Thirty  Missionaries  Who  Left  the  College  to  Go  out  to  Both 

Californias. 

ALTHOUGH  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  greatly  desired  that  the 
thirty  Missionaries  shoiild  embark  without  loss  of  time,  and  gave 
his  orders  to  this  effect,  they  did  not  embark  until  January  and  February 
of  the  following  year,  1771,  because  the  vessels  could  not  be  made  ready. 
They  left  Mexico  City  in  October  of  the  year  1770,  and  had  to  wait  dur- 
ing the  interval  in  the  Convent  of  Tepic. 

From  this  port  the  ten  destined  for  Monterey  sailed  on  the  packet- 
boat  "San  Antonio,"  on  the  2d  of  January  of  the  year  1771,  and  after 
fifty-two  days  of  rather  trying  voyage,  on  account  of  many  bad  storms, 
they  arrived  without  incident  at  the  port  of  San  Diego  on  the  12th  of 
March.  They  found  there  that  all  the  Missionaries  of  that  Mission 
(where  several  converts  had  already  been  baptized)  were  suffering  from 
an  attack  of  scurvy.  The  Captain  left  in  San  Diego  a  part  of  the  cargo 
and  sailed  again  on  the  loth  of  April,  taking  with  him  the  Missionaries 
in  order  that  they  might  receive  the  blessing  from  the  Rev.  Father 
President  who  was  in  Monterey,  and  there  receive  each  one  instructions 
as  to  his  destination. 

The  twenty  friars  assigned  to  Old  CaHfomia  embarked  on  the  packet- 
boat  "San  Carlos"  early  in  February  and  suffered  greatly  in  the  voyage, 
because,  after  having  left  the  port  of  San  Bias,  they  met  with  such  tre- 
mendous head-winds  and  strong  currents  that  they  were  carried  away 
below  the  port  of  Acapulco.  Considering  that  they  were  so  very  far 
from  their  destination  and  that  the  water  supply  was  giving  out,  the 
captain  determined  to  draw  near  the  shore  and  try  to  obtain  a  supply, 
making  for  a  very  bad  port  called  Manzanilla,  where  they  were  on  the 
point  of  being  shipwrecked,  as  the  packet-boat  ran  agroiind.  The 
Fathers  were  taken  ashore  and  landed  upon  the  almost  tminhabited 
coast  of  Colima.  As  the  ship  was  much  beaten  by  the  waves,  the  rudder 
broken  by  the  waves,  and  some  of  the  planking  of  the  keel  loosened,  they 
were  afraid  to  continue  the  voyage  in  the  packet-boat,  as  they  feared  it 
was  unseaworthy,  and  so  advised  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  iii 

When  His  Excellency  heard  of  this  accident  and  delay  he  ordered 
that  the  Missionaries  shoiild  travel  by  land  as  far  as  the  Province  of 
Sinaloa,  coming  down  to  the  coast  opposite  Loreto  in  order  that  from 
that  point  they  might  cross  the  sixty  leagues  of  the  Gulf  in  one  of  the 
California  ships.  This  they  did,  and  in  the  long  journey  of  three 
hundred  leagues  one  of  the  friars  died,  but  the  rest  of  them  reached  the 
camp  of  Los  Alamos,  where  they  rested  until  there  was  an  opportunity 
to  be  transferred  by  ship  to  the  other  side. 

When  the  order  from  His  Excellency  had  arrived  the  Captain  had 
already  ordered  an  examination  made  of  the  packet-boat,  and  when  he 
found  that  the  damage  could  easily  be  remedied,  he  told  the  Fathers 
that  he  would  be  able  to  put  to  sea  within  a  very  short  time,  but  they 
nevertheless  decided  that  they  would  make  the  journey  by  land,  except- 
ing two  of  them,  who  at  the  request  of  the  Captain  remained  and  went 
by  ship.  After  putting  to  sea  and  heading  for  California  they  again 
met  with  such  contrary  winds  that  the  voyage  was  delayed  until  the 
month  of  August,  anchoring  in  the  roadstead  of  Loreto  on  the  30th  of 
that  month.  When  the  Governor  received  word  from  the  Captain  con- 
cerning the  other  Missionaries,  he  sent  the  packet-boat  *'Concepci6n" 
to  bring  them  across,  and  they  landed  in  the  same  roadstead  on  the 
24th  of  November,  1771. 

I  was  not  in  Loreto  at  the  time  of  their  arrival,  but  as  soon  as  I  had 
word  of  it  I  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Governor  asking  for  the  necessary 
soldiers  for  the  founding  of  at  least  two  of  the  Missions  at  once,  as  His 
Excellency  had  charged  me,  and  he  replied  that  he  had  the  same  orders 
from  His  Excellency  to  provide  me  with  the  soldiers,  but  he  had  none  at 
the  time,  as  those  which  belonged  to  Loreto  had  not  yet  returned  from 
Monterey.  He  had  asked  the  Governor  of  Sonora  to  send  him  some 
recruits  and  as  soon  as  they  arrived  he  would  provide  me  with  the  neces- 
sary assistance,  but  for  the  present  he  was  unable  to  do  so  and  had  so 
reported  to  His  Excellency.  When  I  saw  that  it  was  impossible  at  that 
time  to  found  any  new  Missions  I  distributed  the  nineteen  Missionaries  ^ 
among  the  Missions  already  established  and  so  reported  to  the  College 
and  to  the  Viceroy. 

My  letters  and  those  of  the  Governor  arrived  in  Mexico  just  at  the 
time  that  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  Marquis  de  Croix,  was  turning 
over  his  office  to  His  Excellency,  Knight  Commander  Don  Antonio 
Maria  Bucareli  y  Ursua,  the  newly-appointed  Viceroy,  and,  also,  when 
His  Honor,  the  Inspector-General,  Don  Jos^  de  Galvez,  was  retiring  to 


112  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

the  Court  and  the  Royal  and  Supreme  Council  of  the  Indies,  of  which 
he  had  been  beforehand  an  Advisor  and  now  became  Governor  of  the 
same,  and  Secretary  of  State,  as  well  as  of  the  Foreign  Office  of  the 
Indies. 

With  all  these  changes,  and  while  His  Excellency,  the  new  Viceroy, 
was  getting  into  touch  with  the  affairs  of  his  vast  empire,  there  was 
necessarily  much  delay,  which  hindered  steps  being  taken  for  the  estab- 
lishing of  the  five  Missions,  which  were  to  be  located  between  Vellicatd 
and  San  Diego,  as  has  been  said.  At  the  same  time  there  was  presented 
a  claim  on  the  part  of  the  Reverend  Fathers  of  the  Province  of  San- 
to Domingo  of  Mexico  that  they  be  given  a  part  in  these  Spiritual 
Conquests  and  for  which  they  had  been  granted  a  Royal  Charter, 
in  which  His  Majesty  ordered  that  one  or  two  Missions  be  delivered 
to  them  in  pagan  territory.  In  view  of  this  request  His  Excellency, 
the  Viceroy,  requested  him  to  enter  into  a  conference  with  the  Father 
Guardian  of  the  College  of  San  Fernando  who  was  at  that  time  the 
Rev.  Father  Lector,  Fr.  Rafael  Verger,  now  Bishop  of  Nueva  Leon. 
This  the  prelate  of  the  Reverend  Dominican  Fathers  did,  and  when  our 
prelate  was  made  aware  of  the  character  of  the  new  charter  which  had 
been  granted  them  by  His  Majesty,  and  knowing  that  Old  California 
was  not  divisible,  because  it  was  a  tongue  of  land  between  two  seas,  and 
that  serious  inconveniences  would  be  sure  to  result  from  a  mixture  of  the 
two  religious  bodies,  he  replied  to  the  Reverend  Dominican  Prelate  that 
it  was  not  at  all  possible  that  both  bodies  should  occupy  that  territory, 
but  that  if  his  Reverence  so  desired,  all  the  Missions  which  had  formerly 
been  administered  by  the  Reverend  Jesuit  Fathers  shotild  be  granted  to 
them,  as  well  as  the  one  which  had  more  recently  been  founded  imder 
the  name  of  San  Fernando,  and  that  this  frontier  with  its  stretch  of  one 
hundred  leagues,  populated  with  pagans,  along  the  coast  as  far  as  the 
port  of  San  Diego,  in  which  they  had  been  ordered  to  establish  five  new 
Missions,  should  be  included  in  this  cession,  and  that  his  Reverence 
should  hold  himself  responsible  for  their  establishment.  In  all  this  the 
Prelate  consented,  and  an  agreement  was  signed  by  both  and  presented 
to  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  who  deigned  to  confirm  the  same  in  a 
Coimcil  of  War  and  State,  celebrated  on  the  30th  of  April,  1772,  under 
which  date  a  decree  was  issued  for  its  fulfillment  and  which  was  carried 
out  in  the  month  of  May  of  the  following  year  of  1773,  in  which  the 
^  Dominican  Fathers  arrived  in  California  and  I  made  formal  delivery  to 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  113 

them  of  the  above  mentioned  Missions  in  order  that  with  greater  free- 
dom our  College  might  give  itself  the  more  completely  to  attend  to  the 
Conquests  of  Monterey,  or  New  California,  where  I  went  up  with  nine 
of  the  Missionaries  who  had  been  with  me  in  Old  California.  The  rest 
of  our  Companions  returned  to  the  College  of  San  Fernando. 


114  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

The  Ten  Missionaries  Arrive  at  Monterey  with  the  New  and  Favorable 
Edicts.     Dispositions  Made  by  the  Venerable  Father. 

THE  ten  Missionaries  who  had  embarked  at  San  Diego  on  the  14th 
of  April  arrived  on  the  2  ist  of  May  of  the  same  year,  1 7  7 1 ,  without 
other  incident  than  that  of  having  been  much  shaken  up  during  their 
voyage  of  thirty-eight  days  on  account  of  contrary  winds.  Their  arrival 
was  a  source  of  great  joy  to  the  Venerable  Father  President,  when  he 
saw  himself  surrounded  with  so  many  laborers  who  had  come  out  with 
the  greatest  zeal  to  this  vineyard  of  the  Lord.  Our  Servant  of  God  now 
had  an  abimdance  of  provisions  and  house-room,  though  only  made  of 
palisades,  to  entertain  them,  and  in  which  they  covdd  live  temporarily 
until  they  could  be  distributed  to  the  points  in  which  they  were  to  begin 
the  Spiritual  Conquest.  With  so  many  holy  men  of  the  Order  gathered 
in  this  center  of  paganism,  he  did  not  wish  to  let  the  chance  go  by  of 
celebrating  the  second  feast  of  Corpus  Christi,  which  on  this  year  fell  on 
the  30th  of  May,  day  of  the  Patron  Saint,  San  Fernando.  So  the  feast 
was  held  with  the  greatest  solemnity,  with  High  Mass  simg  by  three 
Missionaries,  a  sermon,  and  the  Procession  of  the  Most  Holy  Sacrament, 
with  twelve  priests  in  attendance.  The  great  heart  of  Fr.  Junipero 
seemed  too  small  to  contain  the  great  joy  which  overflowed  his  soul,  on 
seeing  such  magnificent  worship  rendered  to  God,  whom  he  never  ceased 
to  thank  for  having  sent  such  a  goodly  number  of  friars  to  help  him  in 
the  Missions  and  in  the  conversions,  and  also,  when  he  realized  how  well 
inclined  to  help  him  were  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  and  His  Honor,  the 
Inspector-General,  who  had  written  to  him  saying  that  he  was  free  to 
choose  the  site  of  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos  on  the  banks  of  the  Car- 
mel  river  or  wherever  he  deemed  most  suitable. 

After  celebrating  the  feast.  Corpus  Christi,  our  Venerable  Father,  in 
accordance  with  the  directions  of  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  who  had 
ordered  the  founding  of  five  Missions,  in  addition  to  the  three  already 
projected  since  the  beginning,  made  the  corresponding  assignment  of  the 
men  of  the  Order  who  had  come  out  for  this  purpose.     Having  in  mind 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  115 

that  two  of  those  who  had  gone  to  San  Diego  on  account  of  sickness  had 
asked  for  permission  to  retire  from  the  work,  one  to  the  College  and  the 
other  to  Old  California  in  the  hope  that  in  the  warmer  climate  of  that 
region  he  would  enjoy  better  health  and  so  continue  his  labors,  and  not 
forgetting  as  well  that  these  men  had  well  earned  the  privilege  of  resting, 
as  they  had  worked  with  the  greatest  self-denial  and  under  hardships 
in  an  unhealthy  climate,  our  Servant  of  God  granted  them  their  request 
and  named  as  their  successors  and  Missionaries  of  that  field  the  Rever- 
ends Fr.  Francisco  Dumetz  and  F.  Fr.  Luis  Jayme,  of  the  Province  of 
Mallorca.  As  foimders  of  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura  he  named 
Fathers  Fr.  Antonio  Patema,  of  the  Province  of  Andalucia  and  Fr. 
Antonio  Cruzado,  from  the  Province  of  Los  Angeles.  For  San  Gabriel  » 
he  named  the  Fathers  Fr.  Angel  Somera,  member  of  the  College,  and 
Fr.  Pedro  Benito  Cambon,  of  the  Province  of  Santiago  de  Galicia,  all 
of  them  Priests  and  Preachers. 

As  the  three  Missions  where  these  Fathers  were  to  be  located  lie  to 
the  south  and  near  to  San  Diego,  they  all  embarked  again  on  the 
packet-boat  "San  Antonio, "  which  sailed  from  Monterey  on  the  7th  of 
July,  and  Commander  Don  Pedro  Fages  (now  made  a  captain)  also 
went  on  board  in  order  to  see  to  the  distribution  of  the  troops  and  the 
cattle  which  had  been  brought  to  San  Diego,  and  also  on  account  of  the 
retirement  of  Captain  Don  Fernando  Rivera. 

The  other  six  friars  of  the  Order  remained  in  Monterey,  including 
our  Venerable  Fr.  Junipero.  He  named  for  the  Mission  of  San  Antonio  ' 
de  Padua  the  Fathers  Fr.  Miguel  Pieras  and  Fr.  Buenaventura  Sitjar, 
of  the  Province  of  Mallorca;  for  the  Mission  of  San  Luis  Obispo  de  Tolo- 
sa  the  Fathers  Fr.  Joseph  Cavalier  and  Fr.  Domingo  Juncosa,  both  from 
the  Province  of  Catalufia;  for  the  Mission  of  Monterey  there  were  left 
the  Venerable  President  and  his  companion  Fr.  Juan  Crespi.  Two  other 
Missions  were  still  in  project  but  there  were  not  Missionaries  for  them; 
namely,  that  of  our  Holy  Father  San  Francisco,  and  Our  Mother  Santa  • 
Clara.  But  as  these  were  to  be  located  to  the  north  of  Monterey,  and 
as,  at  present,  there  were  no  troops  for  all,  the  Servant  of  God  consoled 
himself  with  the  hope  that  when  the  troops  arrived  from  Old  California, 
there  might  also  come  the  four  Missionaries  needed  from  some  of  the 
older  Missions  there. 

Two  days  after  the  sailing  of  the  packet-boat  "San  Antonio,"  in 
which  the  six  friars  had  embarked,  the  Venerable  Father  started  out  to 


ii6  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

explore  the  valleys  and  ravines  of  the  Carmel  River  in  order  to  move  the 
San  Carlos  Mission  to  a  more  favorable  site.  When  he  found  a  place 
which  seemed  to  meet  all  the  necessary  requirements  he  ordered  the  fell- 
ing of  the  trees  for  the  construction  of  the  houses,  leaving  there  three  of 
the  marines  who  had  remained  behind  from  the  vessel  and  forty  of  the 
California  Indians,  to  act  as  a  guard,  with  five  watchmen  tmder  a  cor- 
poral, whose  business  it  was  to  see  that  the  wood  was  prepared  for  the 
building  of  the  Mission.  In  the  interval  the  Venerable  Father  returned 
in  order  to  f oimd  the  Mission  of  San  Antonio,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  follow- 
ing chapter. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  117 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

'  The  Founding  of  the  Mission  of  San  Antonio  de  Padua. 

THAT  ardent  zeal  for  the  conversion  of  the  gentiles  which  ever 
burned  in  the  heart  of  our  Venerable  Father  Junipero  gave  him 
no  rest  nor  permitted  him  to  delay  in  putting  into  operation  the  means 
necessary  for  the  carrying  out  of  his  plans.  As  soon  as  he  had  finished 
the  exploration  of  the  Carmel  River  and  had  set  to  work  there  the  men 
employed  in  the  cutting  of  timber,  he  returned  immediately  to  Monterey 
in  order  to  prepare  for  his  trip  to  the  Santa  Lucia  Mountains,  and  soon 
after  set  out  with  the  Fathers  destined  to  serve  as  the  founders  of  the 
Mission  of  San  Antonio.  They  took  with  them  all  the  necessary  equip- 
ment for  that  new  Mission  as  well  as  the  guard  of  soldiers  necessary  for 
their  protection.  They  traveled  twenty-five  leagues  toward  the  south- 
east from  Monterey,  in  the  direction  of  these  mountains,  and  when  they 
had  arrived  at  the  base  of  them  they  found  there  a  large  canyon  which 
was  called  Los  RobleSj  as  it  was  thickly  covered  with  oak  trees,  and  there 
they  set  up  the  camp. 

Having  examined  the  contour  of  the  land  and  found  a  wide  and 
sightly  plain  in  the  canyon  near  to  a  river  (to  which  they  immediately 
gave  the  name  of  San  Antonio),  it  seemed  to  them  to  be  the  proper  place 
for  the  building  of  the  Mission  because  there  was  a  good  head  of  water 
in  the  river  even  in  the  month  of  July,  which  was  the  time  of  the  greatest 
drought,  and  also  because  the  waters  could  be  conducted  without  diffi- 
culty for  the  irrigation  of  the  land.  As  all  had  agreed  upon  the  choice  of 
the  place  for  the  Mission,  the  Venerable  Father  ordered  that  the  mules 
should  be  unloaded  and  the  bells  hung  up  from  the  branch  of  a  tree  and 
as  soon  as  everything  was  in  readiness  the  Servant  of  God  began  to  ring 
them,  shouting  at  the  same  time  as  if  he  were  beside  himself,  ''Hear,  oh 
Gentiles,  come,  oh  come  to  the  Holy  Church!  Come,  oh  come  and 
receive  the  Faith  of  Jesus  Christ!"  The  Reverend  Father  Fr.  Miguel 
Pieras,  one  of  the  two  Missionaries,  and  the  one  designated  to  act  as  the 
President  of  the  Mission,  after  watching  him  awhile  said:  "Why  do  you 
weary  yourself  imnecessarily,  as  this  is  not  the  place  where  the  church  is 


ii8  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

to  stand,  nor  is  there  anywhere  within  hearing  in  these  regions  a  single 
pagan  soul?  It  is  of  no  use  to  ring  the  bells."  To  this  the  Father 
answered:  "In  this  way,  Father,  let  me  give  expansion  to  my  heart,  as 
I  would  that  this  bell  might  be  heard  in  all  the  world,  as  indeed  the 
Venerable  Mother,  Sister  Maria  de  Jesus  de  Agreda,  expressed  her  de- 
sire, or  at  least  I  would  that  the  bell  might  be  heard  by  all  the  pagan 
people  who  live  in  this  sierra."  They  then  set  up  a  large  cross  which, 
after  it  had  been  blessed,  they  venerated.  A  little  shelter  of  branches 
was  also  made,  and  tmdemeath  was  placed  the  table  for  the  altar  and 
here  the  Venerable  Father  celebrated  the  first  Mass  in  honor  of  San 
Antonio,  the  Patron  Saint  of  this  Mission,  on  the  14th  of  July  of  the 
year  1771,  dedicated  to  the  Seraphic  Doctor,  San  Buenaventura.  A 
single  Indian  who  had  been  attracted  by  the  ringing  of  the  bell,  or  by  the 
strangeness  of  the  people  there  gathered,  happened  to  draw  near  at  the 
time  that  the  Mass  was  being  celebrated  and  so  was  a  witness  to  the  act 
of  the  Divine  Sacrifice.  This  the  Venerable  Priest  discovered  as  he 
turned  from  the  altar  in  order  to  preach  the  sermon  after  the  reading  of 
the  Gospel,  and  with  his  heart  overflowing  with  joy  he  expressed  himself 
in  his  sermon  in  the  following  manner:  "  I  trust  in  God  and  in  the  favor 
^  of  San  Antonio  that  this  Mission  will  come  to  be  a  great  settlement  of 
many  Christians  because  we  see  here  what  has  not  been  seen  in  any  of  the 
other  Missions  founded  hitherto,  that  at  the  very  first  Mass  the  first 
fruits  of  paganism  have  been  present,  and  he  will  surely  not  fail  to  com- 
mtmicate  to  his  fellows  what  he  has  here  seen." 

This  is  indeed  what  took  place,  as  we  shall  see  hereafter  how  the 
hopes  of  our  Venerable  Father  were  fulfilled  to  the  letter.  As  soon  as 
Mass  was  over  he  began  to  manifest  his  affection  with  little  gifts  to  the 
gentile  in  order  to  attract  by  these  means  the  rest;  and  this  he  accom- 
plished that  very  day,  for  as  soon  as  the  word  spread  many  of  them, 
moved  by  curiosity,  began  to  come  in.  Having  attempted  to  make  them 
understand  by  signs  (in  the  absence  of  an  interpreter)  that  the  friars 
had  come  to  settle  and  live  in  this  region  they  showed  their  great  ap- 
preciation of  the  same  by  continuing  to  make  their  visits,  with  little 
gifts  of  pinions  and  acorns,  which  they  brought  to  them  and  from  which, 
as  well  as  from  other  wild  grains,  they  make  their  meals  and  porridge 
which  they  use  for  food,  and  which  they  harvest  in  great  abundance. 
The  Venerable  Father  reciprocated  by  giving  them  in  return  for  their 
gifts  strings  of  beads  of  glass  of  different  colors,  as  well  as  some  of  our 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  119 

food  made  from  com  and  beans  and  which  immediately  pleased  the 
palate  of  these  pagan  people. 

They  immediately  began  the  construction  of  the  wooden  houses 
which  were  to  serve  for  the  dwelling-house  of  the  Fathers  with  their 
servants,  the  barracks  for  the  soldiers  and  the  church  for  Divine  Wor- 
ship, surrounding  all  these  buildings  with  a  stockade  for  defense  so  that 
the  squad  of  six  soldiers  and  corporal  could  act  as  guard.  Within  a 
short  time  the  Fathers  had  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Indians  who 
became  singularly  attached  to  them  because  of  the  love  and  affection 
with  which  they  treated  them,  and  immediately  they  began  to  show  their 
entire  trust  in  the  Fathers  by  bringing  to  them  their  grains  as  soon  as 
they  had  harvested  them,  saying  that  they  might  eat  what  they  pleased 
of  them  and  that  the  rest  they  could  keep  for  the  winter  season.  This 
the  Missionaries  did  with  great  satisfaction,  wondering  that  the  gentiles 
should  have  such  confidence  in  them  from  the  very  first,  and  also  wonder- 
ing how  much  greater  that  trust  might  be  when,  after  being  converted 
to  baptism,  they  might  come  to  look  upon  them  as  their  real  Fathers. 
In  this  good  opinion  our  Venerable  Father  Junlpero  freely  shared  as  he 
saw  these  demonstrations  of  regard,  and  it  was  in  this  hope  that  he  left 
the  Missionaries  of  this  Mission  of  San  Antonio  in  order  to  return  to 
Monterey,  after  remaining  a  fortnight  with  them. 

Following  the  instructions  of  the  Venerable  President,  the  new  Mis- 
sionaries gave  themselves  up  with  the  greatest  consecration  to  the  learn- 
ing of  the  language  of  these  barbarians,  making  use  of  the  small  boys  ini 
order  to  obtain  from  them  the  names  of  things  and  to  explain  to  them 
tl^t  their  object  in  coming  to  this  land  was  to  direct  their  souls  toward 
heaven.  This  result  they  obtained  at  the  sacrifice  of  great  diligence 
and  when  they  had  begun  to  teach  them  the  doctrine  and  to  baptize, 
the  Mission  had  been  founded  only  two  years  and  at  that  time  when  I 
visited  it  there  were  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  new  Christians. 

These  friars  told  me  the  following  story.  There  was  among  the 
Indians  a  very  old  woman,  whom  they  called  Agueda,  who,  judging  by 
her  appearance,  must  have  been  over  one  himdred  years  old.  She  came 
to  request  baptism  from  the  Fathers  and  when  they  asked  her  why  she 
wished  to  be  a  Christian  she  replied  that  when  she  was  a  young  girl  she 
heard  her  father  tell  of  the  arrival  in  that  country  of  a  man  who  wore  the 
same  dress  that  the  friars  wear  but  who  had  come  neither  on  foot  over 
the  hills  but  flying,  and  that  he  had  taught  them  the  same  things  which 


I20  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

the  Missionaries  were  now  preaching,  and  when  she  had  come  to  re- 
member this  she  felt  moved  to  become  a  Christian.  Not  daring  to 
accept  wholly  this  story  of  the  old  woman  the  Fathers  inquired  care- 
fully concerning  the  matter  of  the  other  neophytes  and  they  all 
unanimously  replied  that  such  was  the  story  that  they  had  heard  from 
their  fathers  and  that  it  was  a  general  tradition  which  had  been  handed 
down. 

When  I  heard  this  story  from  the  Fathers  I  remembered  immediately 
a  certain  letter  which  had  been  written  in  the  year  1631  by  the  holy 
Mother,  Sister  Maria  de  Jesus  de  Agreda  to  the  Missionaries  employed 
in  the  Spiritual  Conquest  of  New  Mexico  and  that  among  other  things 
she  says  that  our  Father,  San  Francisco,  had  sent  to  these  nations  of  the 
north  two  holy  men  of  the  Order  in  order  to  preach  the  faith  of  Jesus 
Christ  (the  men  were  not  Spaniards),  and  that  after  having  made  many 
converts  they  suffered  martyrdom.  On  estimating  the  time  when  they 
made  their  visit  I  concluded  that  it  might  have  been  one  of  these  holy 
men  of  whom  the  convert  Agueda  had  spoken. 

This  Mission  of  San  Antonio,  as  I  have  already  said,  is  situated  in 
the  center  of  the  Sierra  of  Santa  Lucia  about  eight  leagues  from  the 
coast  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  but  which  can  only  be  reached  by  a  very 
hilly  and  stony  road,  and  lies  in  latitude  35  degrees  30  minutes  and  is 
twenty-five  leagues  from  the  port  of  Monterey.  The  hills  are  covered 
with  very  large  pine  trees  which  produce  a  great  abimdance  of  pinions 
(very  similar  to  those  of  Spain).  These  the  Indians  eat,  although  on 
account  of  their  heating  nature  they  cause  some  sickness.  There  is  an 
abundance  also  of  large  live  oaks  and  other  oak  trees  which  furnish  the 
Indians  with  several  varieties  of  acorns.  These  they  dry  in  the  sun  and 
store  for  use,  making  from  them  porridge  and  meal,  and  for  which  also 
they  use  some  plants  and  vegetables  which  the  country  produces  in 
great  abimdance.  No  less  is  the  supply  of  rabbits  and  squirrels,  the 
latter  being  quite  as  savory  as  hares.  The  soil  is  very  fertile  and  supplies 
abundant  harvests  of  wheat,  com,  beans,  and  other  cereals  brought  out 
from  Spain  and  with  which  the  inhabitants  now  have  supplied  them- 
selves. 
\y  During  the  summer  time  the  climate  is  extremely  hot  but  in  the  win- 
ter time  it  is  extremely  cold  on  account  of  the  severe  frosts  which  are 
felt  there.  The  stream  which  never  ceases  to  flow  during  the  year  and 
which  is  close  to  the  Mission  houses  is  often  frozen  over  to  such  a  degree 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  121 

that  the  water  is  sometimes  frozen  solid  until  the  sun  shines  again  and 
melts  the  ice.  For  this  same  reason  there  have  been  serious  losses  in 
the  early  part  of  the  season,  especially  if  the  com  and  beans  are  planted 
too  early. 

So  very  severe  was  the  frost  that  fell  on  Easter  Sunday  in  the 
year  1780  that  a  great  part  of  the  wheat  fields  which  had  already 
begun  to  ear,  and  was  in  blossom,  was  dried  up  like  the  dried  stalks 
seen  in  the  month  of  August.  This  misfortune  brought  great  despair 
to  the  Indians  but  affected  the  Fathers  even  more  seriously  when  they 
considered  what  drawbacks  would  follow  the  lack  of  provisions  at  the 
Mission,  as  it  would  be  necessary  for  the  yotmg  converts  to  go  out  into 
the  hills  in  search  of  wild  grains  for  food  as  they  did  when  they  were 
pagans.  But  the  Fathers,  feeling  a  revival  of  their  faith  and  trusting 
in  the  patronage  of  San  Antonio,  invited  all  the  new  Christians  to  join 
them  in  nine  days  of  prayer.  They  all  attended  the  services  with  great 
punctuality  and  devotion;  and  just  before  the  period  of  prayer  began  the 
Fathers  ordered  that  the  frozen  fields  be  irrigated,  although  they  ap- 
peared to  be  entirely  dry.  Within  a  few  days  they  noticed  that  the 
wheat  began  to  sprout  up  from  the  roots,  and  by  the  time  the  Novena 
was  over  the  field  was  green.  They  continued  to  irrigate  it  and  it  grew 
with  such  rapidity  that  within  the  fifty  days,  at  the  time  of  the  feast  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  the  grain  was  as  tall  as  it  had  been  before,  with  fine 
large  ears,  and  they  were  able  to  see  it  ripen  at  the  usual  time  of  harvest 
and  to  gather  the  largest  crop  which  they  had  ever  seen  from  the  same 
amount  of  land.  When  the  Fathers  and  the  Indians  recognized  their 
deep  obligation  for  so  very  special  a  prodigy  as  the  Lord  otu:  God  had 
deigned  to  work  in  their  favor,  through  the  intercession  of  their  patron 
Saint  and  miracle-worker,  San  Antonio,  they  all  rendered  to  him  the 
most  sincere  thanks. 

This  incident  and  many  others  which  I  omit  in  order  not  to  make 
this  history  too  bulky  have  contributed  a  great  deal  toward  the  con- 
firming of  the  faith  of  the  converts  and  to  the  bringing  in  of  the  gentiles, 
so  that  it  has  happened  that  the  nimiber  of  Christians  in  that  Mission 
exceed  those  of  any  other,  as  the  number  of  them  just  before  the  death 
of  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero,  amounted  to  1084  neophytes.  Thus 
we  see  how  his  hope  was  fulfilled,  when  on  the  first  day  of  the  founding 
he  put  his  trust  in  God  and  in  the  patronage  of  San  Antonio  and  de- 
clared that  there  would  be  there  some  day  a  great  settlement  filled  with 


122  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

many  Christians.  So  God  granted  to  his  Servant  Fr.  Junipero  the 
privilege  of  seeing  during  his  own  lifetime  his  desires  brought  to  fruition, 
and  after  his  most  exemplary  death  the  number  of  Christians  continued 
to  increase  daily,  and  I  doubt  not  that  in  heaven  he  will  continue  to  ask 
God  (as  he  promised  me  he  would  just  before  departing  this  life)  for  the 
conversion  of  all  those  remaining  pagan  people  who  populate  these 
widely  extended  regions. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  123 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

The  Venerable  Father  Proceeds  to  Transfer  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos  to 
the  Carmel  River.     What  He  Did  There. 

AFTER  a  fortnight  spent  in  establishing  the  Mission  of  San  Antonio 
the  Venerable  Father  President  Fr.  Junipero  set  out  thence  for 
Monterey  with  the  most  earnest  desire  of  founding  the  Mission  of  San 
Luis  [Obispo] ;  but  for  the  lack  of  troops  (the  greater  part  of  them  had 
been  detained  in  San  Diego  by  Captain  Rivera  since  the  preceding  year) 
his  desires  were  frustrated  until  the  commandant,  Don  Pedro  Fages, 
might  be  able  to  bring  them  up ;  and  so  he  occupied  himself  in  the  mean- 
time in  the  transferring  of  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos  to  the  banks  of  the  » 
Carmel  River. 

In  order  to  begin  this  work  which  the  Servant  of  God  considered  of 
the  greatest  importance  in  the  conversion  of  the  pagans  and  in  order 
that  the  Mission  might  be  a  permanent  one  (for  he  considered  he  was 
practically  founding  it  anew),  he  went  to  the  place  where  he  had  ordered 
the  cutting  of  the  timber  and  there  commanded  that  more  trees  be 
felled  as  he  did  not  consider  the  supply  sufficient.  In  the  meantime  he 
returned  to  the  garrison.  The  Venerable  Father  might  well  have  left 
his  companion.  Father  Crespi,  in  charge  of  this  work,  or  any  one  of  the 
friars  destined  for  the  Mission  of  San  Luis,  and  who  were  still  idle  in 
the  garrison  until  their  departure  to  establish  their  Mission  could  be 
carried  into  effect.  But  he  did  not  want  to  lose  this  merit  nor  to  put 
the  work  under  the  charge  of  others,  without  doubt  in  order  to  set  them 
an  example  and  that  they  might  not  feel  above  performing  similar  man- 
ual duties  when  they  have  in  view  so  noble  an  object,  and  which  are  so 
very  dear  to  God  (as  the  Venerable  Mother  Mary  de  Jesus  remarks  in 
her  letter) .  He  left  in  the  garrison  the  two  ministers  of  the  Mission  of 
San  Luis  to  look  after  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  troops,  and  his  com- 
panion to  take  care  of  the  converted  Indians,  charging  him  not  only  to 
provide  them  with  food  but  also  to  care  for  their  souls,  reciting  twice  a 
day  the  Christian  doctrine;  and  to  all  he  gave  the  charge  that  whenever 
the  Indians  came  in  they  were  to  be  well  treated  and  directed  to  the 
camp  on  the  Carmel  River. 


124  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

When  these  preparations  had  been  finished  he  set  out  for  the  place 
designated  for  the  Mission,  distant  about  a  league  from  the  garrison,  to 

•live  there  a  sort  of  hermit  life,  having  for  his  dwelling  a  little  shack  in 
which  he  lived.  His  work  was  that  of  overseer,  but  many  times  that 
of  a  day-laborer,  until  a  building  had  been  erected  in  which  he  could 
find  shelter  from  the  very  cold  wind  which  is  felt  in  that  canyon  almost 

^  all  the  year  round.  His  first  work  was  that  of  the  hewing  out  of  a  great 
cross,  which,  after  having  been  blessed,  was  erected  with  the  help  of  the 
soldiers  and  the  servants  and  fixed  midway  in  the  space  destined  for  the 
quadrangle  and  which  was  near  to  the  little  house  that  served  him  for  a 
dwelling.  Another  house  was  erected  for  a  provisional  church  so  that 
he  always  had  this  most  holy  symbol  as  his  constant  companion.  He 
venerated  it  as  soon  as  it  was  daybreak  and  had  the  soldiers  of  the  troop 
sing  there  a  Hymn  of  Praise.  Here  the  servant  of  God  also  said  the 
matin  prayers  and  the  first  prayers  of  the  day  and  then  he  immediately 
wotdd  celebrate  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  which  would  be  attended 
by  all  the  soldiers  and  servants.  Then  they  would  all  go  to  their  work, 
each  one  to  his  place,  the  Venerable  Father  acting  as  engineer  and  over- 
seer. Many  times  dtuing  the  day  he  venerated  the  Holy  Cross,  re- 
peating there  the  prayers  of  the  divine  office.    All  this  I  heard  directly 

I  from  the  mouth  of  the  corporal  who  served  as  guard  in  that  place.  He 
performed  the  same  service  at  night  after  concluding  the  prayer  of  the 
Rosary,  and  in  this  the  soldiers  imitated  his  example  and  taught  the 
Indians  to  do  the  same.  Whenever  the  Indians  would  come  to  visit 
the  Venerable  Father,  and  the  day  rarely  passed  in  which  they  did  not 
come,  being  attracted  either  by  ouiosity  or  by  the  presents  he  gave 
them,  the  first  thing  he  did  was  to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  their 
bodies  with  his  own  hand,  and  then  he  made  them  worship  before  the 
Holy  Cross.  When  these  sacred  ceremonies  were  finished  he  would  give 
them  some  little  present,  either  food  which  he  had  ordered  made  for 
them  of  wheat,  or  boiled  com,  with  a  porridge  made  from  the  meal  of 
these  grains,  or  else  beads  and  trinkets,  and  so  he  tried  to  win  their 
favor  as  far  as  possible,  learning  to  talk  with  them  in  their  own  lan- 
guage. The  young  Christians  also  used  to  come  to  see  him  and  would 
ask  permission  of  Father  Crespi  to  go,  as  they  said,  to  see  the  Old 
Father,  and  he  had  such  a  good  time  with  them  showing  them  the 
greatest  affection,  as  if  they  were  really  and  truly  his  own  children. 

i  He  taught  them  to  salute  everybody  with  the  holy  words,  "Amar  d 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  125 

Dios  '* — Love  God —  and  this  salutation  became  so  general  that  even  the 
pagan  people  used  it  not  only  in  speaking  to  the  Fathers  but  to  any  other 
Spaniard,  and  so  it  extended  over  all  the  region,  touching  even  the  hard- 
est heart  whenever  they  would  hear  these  gentiles  use  the  expression, 
as  it  was  just  as  if  they  heard  their  own  companions  speak  it  whenever 
they  met  them  on  the  road,  as  everywhere  the  words  could  be  heard: 
''Love  God.'* 

As  soon  as  the  Venerable  Father  had  finished  the  erection  of  the      ' 
chapel  and  dwelling-house,  which  was  at  the  close  of  the  year  1771, 
he  called  his  companion.  Father  Crespi,  and  the  new  Mission  was  moved 
with  all  the  Christian  neophytes,  and  there  both  of  them  began  the 
work  of  this  Spiritual  Conquest.     This  was  his  own  peculiar  Mission  /^ 
in  which  he  remained  (with  the  exception  of  the  time  spent  in  visiting 
the  Missions  and  in  the  necessary  trips  of  his  ministry  as  President) 
until  he  died,  leaving  in  this  Mission  alone  10 14  baptized  persons,  in-  ( 
eluding  children,  the  greater  part  of  them  having  received  the  Sacra- 
ment from  the  Father  himself,  for  in  this  matter  he  was  beyond  all  de- 
gree zealous  and  with  a  thirst  for  souls  which  seemed  never  to  be  satis- 
fied. 


126  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

The  Arrival  of  the  Six  Missionaries  at  San  Diego  and  the  Establishment 
of  the  Mission  of  San  Gabriel. 

AS  has  been  said  in  Chapter  XXVI,  about  the  7th  of  July  of  the  year 
1 77 1  the  packet-boat  * 'San  Antonio"  sailed  from  the  port  of  Monte- 
rey carrying  the  six  Missionaries  for  the  three  Missions  of  the  south,  and 
the  commander,  Don  Pedro  Pages.  After  a  week  of  sailing  they  arrived  in 
the  port  of  San  Diego  on  the  14th,  where  they  found  the  Fathers  all 
right.  The  two  Missionaries  who  were  to  take  charge  of  the  Mission 
did  so  at  once  and  the  two  friars  who  had  asked  for  permission  to  retire 
left,  one  embarking  on  the  same  packet-boat  and  sailing  on  the  21st  of 
the  same  month  for  San  Bias,  and  the  other  joining  an  overland  train 
which  was  leaving  for  Old  California. 

As  soon  as  the  vessel  had  left,  the  establishing  of  the  new  Mission 
was  undertaken,  but  the  desertion  of  ten  of  the  soldiers,  just  as  they  were 
about  to  start,  made  it  necessary  to  delay  until  the  men  could  be  brought 
back  again,  as  one  of  the  Fathers  went  out  to  where  they  were  and 
persuaded  them  to  return,  offering  them  pardon.  Just  as  they  were 
again  about  to  start,  on  the  6th  of  August,  others  deserted,  but  in  spite 
of  this  the  captain  decided  that  those  destined  for  the  Mission  of  San 
Gabriel  should  leave  at  once,  and  that  he  would  later  go  with  the  party 
to  found  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura. 

On  the  date  just  mentioned,  the  Fathers,  Fr.  Pedro  Cambon  and  Fr. 
Angel  Somera,  guarded  by  ten  soldiers,  left  San  Diego,  accompanied 
also  by  the  muleteers  carrying  the  equipment.  They  traveled  north- 
ward along  the  trail  marked  out  by  the  Expedition.  After  going  about 
forty  leagues  they  arrived  at  the  Rio  de  los  Temblores  [River  of  the 
Earthquakes]  (as  it  had  been  named  by  the  first  Expedition)  and  just 
as  they  were  in  the  act  of  deciding  as  to  the  location  of  the  Mission,  a 
great  multitude  of  gentiles  came  up,  all  armed  and  under  the  direction 
of  two  captains  who,  with  blood-ctirdling  yells,  tried  to  hinder  the  pro- 
ceedings. As  the  Fathers  feared  that  a  battle  was  imminent  which 
\  would  siirely  result  in  the  death  of  not  a  few,  one  of  them  produced  a 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  127 

canvas  on  which  was  painted  the  image  of  Our  Lady  of  Sorrows  and  held 
it  up  in  view  of  the  barbarians.  He  had  scarcely  done  this  when  they  all, 
subdued  by  the  vision  of  this  beautiful  image,  threw  down  their  bows 
and  arrows  and  came  running  hastily  forward.  The  two  captains  threw 
down  at  the  feet  of  the  Sovereign  Queen  the  beads  and  trinkets  which 
they  wore  about  their  necks,  as  a  sign  of  their  greatest  respect  and  also 
to  indicate  that  they  wished  to  make  peace  with  our  company.  They 
invited  all  the  people  from  the  surrounding  villages  who,  in  great  num- 
bers, men,  women  and  children,  kept  coming  in  to  see  the  Most  Holy 
Virgin,  bringing  with  them  loads  of  various  grains  which  they  left  at 
the  feet  of  Our  Most  Holy  Lady,  supposing  that  she  needed  them  for  food 
the  same  as  the  rest. 

Similar  demonstrations  had  been  made  by  the  gentile  women  of  the 
port  of  San  Diego  after  the  inhabitants  of  that  region  had  been  pacified. 
When  the  Fathers  exhibited  there  another  image  of  our  Lady,  the  Virgin  i 
Mary  with  the  Holy  Child  Jesus  in  her  arms,  as  soon  as  it  was  made 
known  in  the  surrounding  ranches,  they  all  came  in  to  see  it,  and  as  they 
were  not  allowed  to  enter,  being  excluded  by  the  stockade,  they  called  to 
the  Fathers  and  thrusting  their  full  breasts  between  the  poles  sought  to 
express  in  this  vivid  way  their  desire  to  give  suck  to  that  beautiful  little 
child  of  which  they  had  heard  from  the  Fathers. 

The  sight  of  the  image  of  Our  Lady  produced  a  wonderful  change  1 
upon  the  gentiles  surrounding  the  Mission  of  San  Gabriel,  and  they  came 
very  often  to  visit  the  friars,  seemingly  not  able  to  sufficiently  express 
their  joy  that  they  should  have  come  to  live  among  them,  and  the 
desire  to  show  their  gratitude  by  their  good  will  and  their  presents. 
The  Fathers  proceeded  to  explore  the  whole  wide  plain  and  began  the  1 
Mission  in  the  place  which  they  considered  most  suitable,  using  the 
same  ceremonies  which  have  been  referred  to  in  the  founding  of  the  other 
Missions.  The  first  Mass  was  celebrated  under  a  little  shelter  made  of  ' 
branches  on  the  day  of  the  Nativity  of  Our  Lady,  the  8th  of  September, 
and  on  the  next  day  work  was  begun  on  the  chapel  which  was  to  serve 
as  a  provisional  church,  and  also  a  house  for  the  Fathers  and  another 
for  the  troops,  all  made  of  poles  and  surrounded  by  a  stockade  as  a  pre- 
caution against  possible  attack.  The  greater  part  of  the  wood  for  the 
building  was  cut  down  and  dragged  in  by  the  pagans  themselves,  who 
also  helped  in  the  construction  of  the  houses,  and  for  this  reason  the 
Fathers  were  encouraged  to  hope  for  a  great  success  in  the  work,  seeing 


128  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

that  from  the  very  beginning  there  was  no  opposition  to  the  gentle  yoke 
of  our  Evangelical  Law. 

At  the  time  when  the  natives  seemed  to  be  most  content  their  good 
disposition  toward  us  was  seriously  upset  by  an  outrage  committed  by 
one  of  the  soldiers  upon  one  of  the  head  chiefs  of  the  village,  and  what 
was  worse,  by  committing  a  sin  against  God  Our  Lord.  As  the  gentile 
chief  naturally  thought  of  taking  vengeance  for  the  outrage  committed 
against  himself  and  his  wife,  he  gathered  together  all  his  neighbors  from 
the  near-by  villages  and  inviting  all  of  the  warriors  to  arm  themselves, 
he  led  them  down  to  the  place  in  the  field  where  two  of  the  soldiers  of  the 
Mission  were  pasturing  and  taking  care  of  the  horses,  one  of  them  being 
the  evil-doer.  As  soon  as  these  soldiers  saw  the  armed  band  approach- 
ing they  put  on  their  leather  jackets  as  a  defence  against  the  arrows  and 
prepared  themselves  for  battle,  as  there  was  no  way  by  which  they  could 
advise  the  captain  of  the  guard,  who,  by  the  way,  was  ignorant  of  the 
deed  committed  by  the  soldier.  The  gentiles  had  no  sooner  come  within 
bow-shot,  when  they  began  to  let  fly  their  arrows,  aiming  all  of  them 
against  the  offending  soldier.  The  latter  immediately  aimed  his  gun 
at  the  Indian  who  seemed  to  him  to  be  the  boldest,  presimiing  that  he 
was  the  captain,  and  discharging  his  piece,  killed  him  on  the  spot.  As 
soon  as  the  others  saw  the  deadly  force  of  this  new  weapon,  whose  effect 
they  had  never  before  experienced,  and  when  they  also  saw  that  their 
arrows  did  no  harm,  they  turned  and  fled,  leaving  the  imhappy  captain 
dead  upon  the  ground.  From  this  deed  the  Indians  became  very  much 
frightened. 

A  few  days  after  the  above  incident  the  captain  arrived  with  the 
Fathers,  bringing  the  equipment  for  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura, 
but  fearing  that  the  Indians  might  make  some  attempt  to  avenge 
the  death  of  their  chief,  he  decided  to  increase  the  guard  of  the  San 
Gabriel  Mission  up  to  the  number  of  sixteen  soldiers.  For  this  reason 
and  because  of  the  distrust  he  had  for  the  rest  of  them  in  view  of  so 
many  desertions,  it  became  necessary  to  suspend  the  establishment  of 
the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura  until  the  success  of  this  one  of  San 
Gabriel  could  be  assured,  so  that  the  two  friars  assigned  to  the  former 
Mission  remained  here  with  their  equipment  until  further  orders  were 
received.  The  commander  then  went  on  with  his  remaining  soldiers 
to  Monterey,  taking  with  him  the  soldier  who  had  killed  the  Indian  in 
order  that  he  might  not  serve  as  a  means  of  provocation  to  the  rest.  But 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  129 

it  shoiild  be  said  that  his  unworthy  conduct  had  been  kept  hidden  both 
from  the  captain  and  from  the  Fathers  up  to  this  time. 

So  we  see  that  four  Missionaries  remained  in  charge  of  the  station 
of  San  Gabriel,  but  as  the  two  formerly  assigned  to  the  work  here  were 
taken  sick  they  had  to  retire  shortly  after  to  Old  California,  and  the  two 
assigned  to  San  Buenaventura  remained  in  charge  and  continued  with 
all  possible  kindness  and  tact  to  attract  to  the  Mission  the  pagans  who, 
little  by  little,  came  to  forget  the  deed  of  the  soldier  and  the  death  of 
their  chief,  and  to  bring  in  some  of  their  children  to  be  baptized.  One 
of  the  first  of  these  children  was  the  son  of  the  unfortunate  chieftain 
whom  the  widow  gladly  gave  to  the  Fathers  for  this  purpose,  and  her 
example  was  followed  by  many  others,  so  that  the  number  of  Christians 
began  to  increase.  Two  years  after  the  founding  of  the  Mission,  on 
the  occasion  of  my  visit  to  it,  they  had  baptized  seventy-three,  and  at 
the  time  of  the  death  of  our  Venerable  Father  the  nimiber  was  1019 
neophytes. 


I30  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XXX 

The  Venerable  Father  Sends  His  Companion  to  Explore  the  Port  of  Our 

Father,  St.  Francis. 

AS  the  commander,  Don  Pedro  Pages,  found  on  his  arrival  at  Mon- 
terey that  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos  had  been  moved  to  the  Carmel 
River,  he  went  on  thither  in  order  to  report  to  the  Venerable  Father  Juni- 
pero  all  that  had  happened  in  the  way.  The  account  caused  this  Ser- 
vant of  God  great  pain  as  he  realized  the  failure  to  establish  the  Mission 
of  San  Buenaventura,  especially  as  this  was  one  of  the  first  three  to  be 
projected  and  which  His  Lordship,  the  Inspector-General,  Don  Jos^  de 
Galvez,  especially  called  his  own;  but  seeing  that  it  had  not  been  the 
fault  of  the  Missionaries  he  thanked  God  because  it  had  been  possible 
to  foimd  the  other  Mission  of  San  Gabriel,  and  he  trusted  in  His  Divine 
Majesty  that,  whenever  it  should  be  pleasing  to  Him,  that  Mission 
would  be  established  imder  better  auspices  and  with  less  of  anxiety. 
This  wish  the  Lord  saw  fit  to  grant  thirteen  years  after  the  first  plan 
^  had  been  made,  and  although  it  was  the  last  which  the  Venerable 
Father  had  foimded,  it  could  be  said  of  it,  as  was  said  of  the  Seraphic 
Doctor  San  Buenaventura  when  the  Holy  Church  ordained  his  canoni- 
zation, **  Tamen  quo  tardius  eo  solemnius,"^^  as  we  shall  see  farther  on  in 
the  narrative. 

When  the  Venerable  Fr.  Junipero  perceived  that  this  project  could 
not  soon  be  realized,  he  proposed  to  the  commander  that  he  undertake 
the  founding  of  the  Mission  of  San  Luis  [Obispo],  but  the  latter  excused 
himself  on  the  same  ground,  saying  that  if  he  diminished  the  number 
of  his  troop  and  some  word  of  trouble  were  to  come  from  San  Gabriel 
of  an  uprising  of  the  Indians  there,  he  would  be  unable  to  go  to  their 
rescue,  but  as  soon  as  it  was  certain  that  all  danger  of  disturbance  had 
passed  he  would  gladly  proceed  to  the  founding  of  the  Mission  of  San 
Luis. 

When  the  zealous  prelate  considered  that,  as  long  as  nothing  of 
partictilar  interest  occurred  in  the  station  down  the  coast,  no  coiuier 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  131 

was  likely  to  be  dispatched,  and  that  the  officials  in  Lower  [old]  Cali- 
fornia would  let  the  year  go  by  without  doing  anything  because  they 
would  be  waiting  for  such  a  message,  and  no  progress  would  be  made, 
he  proposed  to  Commander  Pages  that,  in  the  meanwhile,  he  proceed 
to  the  exploring  of  the  port  of  our  Father  San  Francisco  in  order  to 
choose  the  site  which  might  be  most  appropriate  for  the  Mission,  and 
at  the  same  time  get  into  communication  with  the  pagan  people  of  that 
region  and  win  their  good  will  in  order  that  so  much  would  be  gained 
against  the  time  when  they  would  be  able  to  establish  the  Mission.  To 
this  the  Commander  agreed,  offering  to  go  in  person  with  Father 
Crespi,  as  soon  as  the  rainy  season  should  pass,  if  up  to  that  time  there 
was  no  news  from  below. 

About  the  middle  of  the  month  of  March,  as  the  rains  had  ceased 
and  as  there  was  no  courier  from  San  Gabriel  and  as  it  was  taken  for 
granted  that  everything  was  all  right,  the  expedition  left  Monterey  on 
the  20th  of  this  month,  of  the  year  1772.  The  Rev.  Father  Crespi 
gives  a  full  account  of  this  journey  in  his  diary,  at  the  conclusion  of 
his  other  reports  (and  I  refer  the  curious  reader  to  them).^^  They  were 
hindered  from  making  a  complete  exploration  to  their  entire  satisfac- 
tion by  the  news  which  was  received  by  courier  from  San  Diego  that 
that  port  was  in  danger  of  being  left  without  provisions,  as  the  supplies 
had  little  by  little  been  exhausted  and  as  Father  Dumetz  had  gone 
down  into  Lower  California  to  seek  supplies;  for  although  the  packet- 
boat  '*San  Antonio"  had  brought  out  that  year  its  usual  cargo  of  pro- 
visions, there  had  been  a  considerable  increase  in  the  nimiber  of  con- 
sumers, both  of  the  peons  who  had  remained  ashore  from  the  vessel  and 
of  the  neophytes  who  had  been  added  to  the  Mission.  For  this 
reason  the  supply  had  little  by  little  become  exhausted. 

As  soon  as  the  Commander  received  this  word  (he  was  away  on  the 
trip  of  exploration  at  the  time)  he  returned  to  Monterey  as  is  indicated 
in  the  diary  and  immediately  sent  off  a  mule-train  loaded  with  pro- 
visions in  order  to  supply  the  need  of  San  Diego  and  also  of  San  Gabriel. 
For  from  the  same  courier  it  had  been  learned  that  there  were  no  signs 
of  trouble  from  the  Indians  in  this  last  Mission,  but  that  the  two  friars 
in  charge  of  it  had  gone  back  to  Old  California  on  account  of  sickness 
and  that  the  Missionaries  of  San  Buenaventura  had  taken  their  place, 
as  I  have  already  said.  In  view  of  this  and  of  the  fact  that  Father  Fr. 
Luis  Jayme  had  been  left  alone  at  San  Diego,  Father  Juan  Crespi  was 


132  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

sent  with  the  mule-train  as  he  had  just  arrived  from  the  exploring 
trip  to  San  Francisco. 

This  assistance  arrived  in  due  time  at  San  Gabriel  and  San  Diego, 
and  a  little  later  the  other  supplies  which  I  had  ordered  sent  from  Old 
California  also  arrived,  as  did  the  new  Missionary  sent  out,  and  Father 
Dimietz  who  also  returned.  In  this  way  the  needs  of  the  stations  in 
the  south  were  well  supplied,  but  very  shortly  a  scarcity  was  felt  in 
Monterey,  for  as  the  vessel  which  was  to  bring  out  the  provisions  was 
delayed  in  coming  three  months  longer  than  in  preceding  years,  the 
people  of  the  latter  place  began  to  feel  the  stress  of  famine,  as  they  had 
sent  a  goodly  part  of  their  own  supplies  to  help  the  people  of  the  port  of 
San  Diego.  In  view  of  this  necessity  Commander  Don  Pedro  Fages 
found  himself  obliged  to  leave  in  the  garrison  a  small  number  of  soldiers 
and  to  take  the  rest  of  them  into  the  mountains  to  a  place  called  Canyada 
de  los  Osos  (the  Canyada  of  the  Bears)  about  fifty  leagues  distant  from 
the  garrison,  where  he  had  a  killing  of  these  wild  beasts,  and  where  he 
also  purchased  wild  grains  from  the  Indians  with  which  the  people  of 
the  station  were  able  to  maintain  themselves.  This  famine  lasted 
until  the  arrival  of  the  vessel.  The  Fathers  did  not  really  suffer  any 
evil  results  from  the  privations  because  they  had  been  supplied  by  the 
gentiles,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  following  letter  from  the  Venerable  Father 
Jtmipero. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  133 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

Letter  of  the  Venerable  Father  Containing  Various  News  and  the  Arrival 

of  the  Vessel. 

LONG  live  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph  —  Rev.  Father  Lector  and  President,  Fr. 
Francisco  Palou  —  Dearly  Beloved  Friend  and  Sir:  I  do  not  wish  to  complain 
of  the  limited  time  I  have  for  writing  to  your  Reverence  because  I  don't  care  to 
excuse  myself  with  the  old  fear  that  I  am  always  afraid  that  this  which  I  write 
with  great  efiFort  may  never  arrive  in  your  hands.  But  I  will  say  first  that,  thanks 
to  God,  I  am  well  and  that  nothing  has  happened  to  me  or  to  any  of  my  companions 
among  the  Fathers  in  spite  of  the  famine  which  has  brought  death  to  many  poor 
people  in  this  region.  I  want  to  say  next  that  just  when  we  were  expecting  the  vessel 
and  the  word  had  reached  us  that  there  were  to  be  two  ships  which  were  to  come  to 
this  port,  we  now  learn  that  after  both  had  reached  this  latitude,  and  though  one  of 
them  was  within  a  few  leagues  of  this  Mission,  neither  was  able  to  make  port.  The 
captain  of  "El  Principe"  (our  good  Don  Juan  Perez)  writes  that  now  he  can't  come, 
that  he  is  in  San  Diego,  and  that  we  are  to  go  there  if  we  want  any  of  the  things 
which  he  has  brought.  The  other,  Don  Miguel  Pino,  with  Canizares,  writes  that  he 
is  in  the  channel  of  Santa  Barbara  and  that  he  sails  for  San  Diego,  that  we  will  find 
everything  there  and  nothing  here.  We  can  comfort  ourselves  with  the  thought 
that  the  two  Missions  of  San  Diego  and  San  Gabriel  will  no  longer  be  in  danger.  The 
Mission  here,  that  of  San  Antonio,  and  the  garrison  are  not  in  danger  of  being 
abandoned,  but  one  thing  is  sure  and  that  is,  that  our  people  will  have  to  suffer  some 
days  of  hardship.  Our  pack-mules  are  very  few  and  in  no  shape  for  a  long  trip  by 
land. 

The  principal  sources  of  supply  for  our  people  have  been  the  pagans.  Through 
their  kindness  we  are  alive,  because  God  willed  it  so.  To  be  sure  the  milk  from  the 
cows  and  the  few  vegetables  from  the  garden  have  been  two  great  sources  of  sus- 
tenance for  these  establishments,  but  both  of  these  are  daily  becoming  scantier. 
Not  for  that  account  do  I  feel  any  concern,  nor  should  your  Reverence  grieve  that 
these  Missions  have  been  founded  as  it  is  in  no  way  a  cause  for  grief  to  any  one  of 
those  who  have  come  to  occupy  these  Missions.  The  discomfort  is  found  only  in  the 
fact  that  the  lack  of  workers  among  us  makes  it  impossible  to  proceed  with  the 
founding  of  the  new  Missions.  The  Fathers  of  San  Luis  have  at  last  been  relieved 
of  the  tension  of  fourteen  long  months  of  waiting  by  the  news  of  the  abundant 
provisions  which  the  vessels  have  brought,  and  the  Mission  will  soon  be  founded. 
All  the  necessary  things  for  it  are  already  at  hand. 

If  for  the  foundation  of  the  Mission  here  we  may  have  to  wait  for  such  a  time  as 
supplies  can  be  sent  up  from  below,  and  if  the  progress  has  to  depend  upon  the 
coming  of  a  ship,  many  years  may  pass  without  anything  being  done,  on  account  of 
the  difficulties  of  reaching  these  remote  regions  with  the  necessary  succor,  in  view  of 


134  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

the  difficulties  which  your  Reverence  feels  and  understands  even  better  than  myself. 
All  the  Missionaries  are  groaning  and  we  all  deplore  the  vexations,  the  hardships 
and  the  delays  which  we  have  to  endure,  but  no  one  desires  or  thinks  of  leaving  his 
Mission.  The  fact  is  that,  hardship  or  no  hardship,  there  are  many  souls  saved  in 
heaven,  and  souls  converted  in  Monterey,  in  San  Antonio  and  San  Diego  and  per- 
haps in  San  Gabriel,  though  I  have  not  heard  of  any  yet.  There  is  quite  a  consider- 
able number  of  Christians  who  praise  God,  and  His  Holy  Name  is  in  the  mouth  of 
these  same  gentiles  more  frequently  than  in  that  of  many  Christians.  And  although 
some  have  declared  that  these  apparently  gentle  lambs  will  some  day  all  of  them 
turn  into  tigers  and  lions,  indeed  it  might  be  so  if  God  would  permit  it,  but  speaking 
of  those  of  Monterey,  we  have  now  had  experience  of  them  for  three  years  and  with 
those  of  San  Antonio,  two  years,  and  we  can  say  that  every  day  they  grow  better. 

And  above  all,  the  promise  which  God  made  in  these  last  days  to  our  Father 
San  Francisco  (as  the  Seraphic  Mother  Mary  of  Jesus  says),^^  that  the  pagans  have 
only  to  look  upon  his  sons  in  order  to  be  converted  to  our  Holy  Catholic  Faith  is 
something  which  I  have  seen  and  felt  in  my  own  experience  for  if,  indeed,  there  are 
any  here  that  are  not  Christians  it  is  in  my  judgment  simply  because  of  our  ignorance 
of  the  language.  This  learning  of  a  new  language  is  not  new  to  me,  but  I  imagine 
I  have  very  little  grace  for  it,  on  account  of  my  sins,  and  in  lands  such  as  these  where 
it  is  not  possible  to  secure  an  interpreter  nor  a  teacher,  htunanly  speaking,  until 
some  one  of  these  people  can  learn  to  use  the  Castilian,  necessarily  some  time  must  be 
allowed  to  pass  before  one  can  accomplish  much. 

This  difficulty  has  already  been  overcome  in  San  Diego  and  adults  are  being 
baptized  and  marriages  celebrated;  and  here  we  are  preparing  to  do  the  same  thing 
because  the  young  men  are  beginning  to  make  explanations  of  things  in  the  Castilian. 
As  to  the  rest,  if  some  help  comes  now,  it  will  not  be  long  before  it  will  matter  very 
little  to  us  whether  the  vessels  come  or  not  as  far  as  provisions  are  concerned,  but  as 
things  are  now,  the  Missions  can  make  little  headway.  But  withal  I  trust  in  God 
that  all  is  to  be  remedied. 

But  now  we  come  to  the  matter  of  principal  importance.  I  am  going  to  San 
Diego  with  Commander  Don  Pedro  Fages,  and  if  it  should  happen  that  your  Rever- 
ence should  undertake  to  explore  the  stretch  of  country  lying  between  San  Fernando 
Vellicatd  and  that  port  in  order  to  distribute  in  it  the  five  new  Missions,  and  it  might 
be  that  you  are  doing  that  thing  now,  the  occasion  might  arise  in  which  we  could 
personally  embrace  each  other  in  the  middle  or  toward  the  end  of  September,  and  so 
our  mutual  communication  would  take  the  place  of  many  letters,  and  we  could  discuss 
at  our  leisure  how  best  to  carry  on  this  great  work  which,  without  deserving  it,  the 
God,  our  Lord,  has  put  into  our  hands.  The  great  comfort  which  such  a  meeting 
with  you  would  bring  to  me  I  leave  to  the  imagination  of  your  Reverence,  but  please 
do  not  come  just  for  my  sake,  but  only  in  case  you  think  it  wise  for  the  greatest  good 
of  all.  We  could  make  our  plans  to  return  each  one  to  his  own  field  before  the  rainy 
season,  and  it  seems  to  me  there  would  be  time  for  it  aU.  But  above  all,  I  do  ask 
most  earnestly  that,  either  with  your  Reverence  or  else  by  themselves,  two  more 
friars  be  allowed  to  come  at  this  time,  in  order  to  secure  the  founding  of  San  Buena- 
ventura or  to  take  the  place  of  the  Missionaries  at  San  Gabriel  who,  on  account  of 
sickness,  had  to  leave.  If  these  two  were  to  come  to  take  the  place  of  the  two  sick 
ones  who  have  gone  I  will  understand  that  I  am  not  to  ask  for  any  more  help,  except 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  135 

it  be  from  the  College  itself.  Try  to  see  to  it  that  those  who  are  to  come  are  well 
provided  with  patience  and  charity  and  in  that  case  they  will  have  a  joyous  time 
and  will  here  become  very  rich, —  I  say,  rich  in  hardships;  but  then,  whither  goes  the 
ox  that  does  not  plow?     And  if  he  does  not  plow,  how  can  there  be  harvest? 

During  my  absence  Father  Pieras,  with  one  of  the  Fathers  from  San  Luis 
[Obispo],  will  take  charge  of  the  administration  of  this  Mission  and  another  one  will 
go  to  San  Antonio,  where  Father  Fr..  Buenaventura  Sitjar  has  been  left  alone,  in 
order  that  he  may  be  so  much  nearer  the  place  in  which  he  is  to  begin  his  Mission. 
The  Mission  of  San  Antonio  which,  on  San  Buenaventura's  day,  celebrated  its  first 
anniversary,  has  been  suffering  the  lack  of  the  necessities  of  life  and  has  had  recourse 
entirely  to  the  grains  harvested  by  the  pagans  and  to  the  native  cornmeal.  This 
Mission  owes  the  good  Father  Pieras  the  charity  of  more  than  four  mule-loads  of 
provision  of  this  sort  as  on  his  last  visit  to  me  he  brought  me  three.  From  Father 
Fr.  Juan  [Crespi]  I  send  you  no  word  because  from  his  letters  you  will  know  all  about 
his  trip;  in  short,  I  will  not  write  further;  if  we  see  each  other,  we  can  talk  it  all  over 
(with  the  favor  of  God) ;  and  if  not,  I  hope  I  can  write  again  more  at  length. 

If  your  Reverence  should  have  occasion  to  write  to  our  College,  please  inform 
them  concerning  all  the  news  which  you  have  from  us,  so  that  if  my  letters  do  not 
arrive  they  will  at  least,  through  your  medium,  have  word  concerning  these  lands 
and  Missions.  I  send  my  kindest  regards  to  each  one  of  the  Fathers  of  those  Mis- 
sions, both  to  old  and  young,  and  pray  them  to  remember  me  in  their  prayers. 
Tell  those  who  know  me  to  excuse  me  for  not  writing  them  personal  letters  for  the 
reasons  I  have  already  given  at  the  beginning,  and  also  because  I  have  had  to  do 
most  of  my  writing  at  night.  If  Fathers  Lasuen  and  Murguia  are  among  those  who 
are  to  come  out  into  these  desert  regions,  don't  forget  to  tell  them  what  I  said  about 
patience  and  good  spirits,  etc.  I  desire  that  your  Reverence  may  have  an  ample 
supply  of  both  which  if  I  am  correctly  informed  are  no  less  needed  in  those  regions 
than  in  these.  May  God  grant  them  to  us  all,  and  may  He  keep  your  Reverence 
many  years  in  His  holy  Love  and  Grace.  Mission  of  San  Carlos,  of  Monterey,  on  the 
Carmel.  August  18,  1772.  I  kiss  the  hand  of  your  Reverence.  Your  affectionate 
Friend,  Companion  and  Servant,  Fr.  Junipero  Serra. 

At  the  same  time  that  the  Venerable  Father  wrote  me  this  letter  I 
also  received  letters  from  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  and  from  the 
Rev.  Father  Guardian  of  the  College,  in  which  he  gave  me  the  news  of 
the  compact  made  with  the  Reverend  Dominican  Fathers  for  the  delivery 
to  them  of  Old  California.  ^^  I  learned  also  that  two  friars  were  on  their 
way  to  Monterey  to  take  charge  of  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura 
and  they  were  informed  concerning  this  new  measure  and  were  instructed 
to  ask  him  (Father  Junipero)  to  let  me  know  how  many  friars  would  be 
needed  in  order  that  they  might  not  return  to  the  College.  But  when 
the  letter  reached  San  Diego  the  Venerable  Servant  of  God  had  already 
embarked  for  San  Bias  in  order  to  pass  on  to  the  capital  [City  of  Mexico] 
and  there  present  his  report  to  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  as  we  shall 
see  later. 


136  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

The  Venerable  Father  Goes  Down  to  San  Diego  and  on  the  Way  Founds 
*  the  Mission  of  San  Luis  Obispo. 

WHEN  the  Venerable  Father  learned  from  the  letters  of  the  captain 
that  the  vessels  would  not  come  up  to  Monterey,  and  when  he 
saw  that  the  mules  were  in  no  condition  to  bring  the  freight  by  land  he 
decided  to  make  the  sacrifice  and  visit  San  Diego  and  there  have  an 
interview  with  those  naval  officers,  and  on  his  way  take  the  first  step  in 
the  founding  of  the  Mission  of  San  Luis  Obispo  de  Tolosa,  and  on  his 
return  found  that  of  San  Buenaventura.  He  left  Monterey  in  company 
with  Don  Pedro  Pages  who  was  going  on  the  same  mission  after  having 
sent  off  the  courier.  His  first  visit  on  the  way  was  to  the  Mission  of 
San  Antonio.  He  was  delighted  to  see  here  such  a  large  number  of 
Christians,  and  he  took  with  him  from  this  place  Father  Fr.  Joseph 
Cavalier  for  the  establishing  of  the  Mission  of  San  Luis.  They  traveled 
twenty-five  leagues  farther  and  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  Canyada  of  the 
Bears  (where,  as  I  have  said,  the  soldiers  made  a  slaughter  of  these  ani- 
mals in  order  to  provide  food  for  the  people  dining  the  time  of  the 
famine) .  Here  they  found  a  very  desirable  site,  with  good  lands  for  the 
raising  of  grain,  and  a  beautiful  clear  stream  of  water  for  irrigating. 

The  timber  was  prepared  for  a  large  Cross  and  when  it  had  been  set 
up  they  venerated  it  and  formally  took  possession  of  the  land.  This 
act  of  founding  the  Mission  took  place  on  the  ist  of  September  of  the 
year  1772,  Mass  being  said  in  a  little  shelter  of  branches  by  our  Vener- 
able Father  Junipero.  He  left  the  following  day  to  continue  his  journey 
to  San  Diego,  but  he  left  behind  two  of  the  Califomian  Indians  in  order 
to  help,  and  the  captain  left  a  corporal  with  four  soldiers  for  a  guard, 
promising  the  Father  that  on  his  return  he  would  bring  the  number  up 
to  sixteen,  but  now  he  needed  the  men  to  drive  the  cattle  and  the  pro- 
vision-train. On  account  of  the  very  limited  supply  of  provisions,  he 
left,  for  the  maintenance  of  the  Father,  the  five  soldiers  and  the  two 
Indians,  only  fifty  pounds  of  flour  and  three  pecks  of  wheat,  and  that 
they  might  buy  grains  from  the  gentile  Indians  he  also  left  a  box  of  red 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  137 

sugar.    With  this  very  limited  supply  the  Father  was  very  well  content, 
putting  all  his  trust  in  God,  and  with  this  they  said  good-by. 

As  soon  as  our  travelers  had  begun  their  long  voyage  the  Missionary  • 
Father  of  San  Luis  set  the  Indians  to  work  cutting  the  wood  for  the 
construction  of  the  little  chapel  which  was  to  serve  for  a  church  and 
the  other  little  building  for  the  dwelling  place  of  the  Father.  The 
soldiers  did  the  same,  erecting  their  barracks  and  stockade  for  defence. 
Although  in  that  region  there  was  no  village  of  any  kind,  the  Indians 
soon  began  to  arrive,  attracted  by  the  novelty,  and  as  it  had  been  only 
three  months  since  the  soldiers  had  been  there  at  the  time  of  the  slaugh- 
ter of  the  bears  (for  which  they  were  very  thankful,  as  the  land  had  been 
rid  of  these  fierce  animals,  who  had  killed  many  of  the  Indians,  of  whom 
not  a  few  of  those  who  were  still  alive  showed  the  terrible  scars  of  their 
dreadful  claws),  they  were  glad  to  show  themselves  delighted  that  our 
people  had  come  among  them  to  live.  They  began  to  visit  the  Mission 
with  great  frequency,  bringing  little  presents  of  venison  and  wild  grains 
to  the  Father,  who  returned  the  favor  by  giving  them  trinkets  and  sugar. 
Through  this  assistance,  provided  by  the  gentile's,  they  were  able  to  get 
along  very  well  in  this  place  until  the  ships  which  were  bringing  provi- 
sions had  arrived. 

One  year  after  the  Mission  had  been  founded,  on  the  occasion  of  my 
visit  to  it,  there  were  there  twelve  Christians  and  with  the  four  families 
of  the  Califomian  Indians  and  a  few  converted  young  men  whom  I  left 
behind,  the  Mission  was  increased  both  in  equipment  and  in  the  number 
of  believers.  With  this  help  the  number  of  gentiles  converted  continued 
constantly  to  increase  so  that  when  the  Venerable  Father  President  died, 
there  had  been  baptized  six  hundred  and  sixteen  converts.  This  Mission 
of  San  Luis  Obispo  de  Tolosa  is  situated  upon  a  hill,  down  the  side  of 
which  flows  a  stream,  with  a  plentiful  supply  of  water  for  the  irrigating 
of  the  lands  which  lie  close  below  and  which  produce  abundant  harvests, 
not  only  enough  for  the  maintenance  of  all  the  Christians  but  also  to 
supply  the  garrisons,  so  that  in  exchange  clothing  has  been  bought  for 
the  Indians.  The  fertility  of  the  soil  is  such  that  from  whatever  seed 
you  may  plant  you  may  be  sure  of  an  abundant  harvest.  It  is  situated 
at  latitude  35  degrees,  38  minutes  north,  about  three  leagues  distant  from 
the  sea  (where  there  is  a  bay  called  Buchon,  opening  to  the  west).  A 
good  road  communicates  with  the  shore  and  the  neophyte  Indians  have 
there  their  little  canoes  for  the  catching  of  several  kinds  of  very  savory 


138  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

fish.  The  Mission  is  fifty  leagues  distant  from  the  garrison  of  Monterey, 
which  lies  to  the  northwest,  and  twenty-five  leagues  from  San  Antonio. 
This  stretch  of  country  is  well  populated  with  pagan  tribes  whose 
evangelization  from  these  Mission  centers  will  not  be  easy  until  inter- 
mediate stations  have  been  built,  and  also  because  these  people  are  not 
accustomed  to  move  away  from  their  tribal  lands,  and  further  because  of 
the  difference  in  their  language.  At  almost  every  step  we  find  a  different 
■  dialect,  so  that,  thus  far,  we  have  no  two  Missions  in  which  the  people 
speak  the  same  tongue.  The  climate  of  San  Luis  is  very  healthy,  the 
winters  being  cold  and  the  simmiers  hot,  but  not  in  excess.  The  weather 
in  the  town  is  sometimes  a  little  disagreeable  on  account  of  the  winds 
which  are  noticeable,  due  to  the  elevation  of  the  place.  The  Mission 
has  been  much  troubled  by  fire  as  on  three  occasions  they  have  had 
accidents  of  this  sort.  The  first  time  an  Indian  started  it  with  a  burning 
wick  which  he  had  tied  to  an  arrow  and  shot  into  the  thatch  of  the  roof. 
On  this  account  the  Mission  suffered  considerable  loss  both  in  the  build- 
ing and  furniture.  The  second  time  was  on  Christmas  day  when  all  the 
Fathers  were  in  Church  singing  the  Midnight  Mass.  When  the  fire 
started,  no  one  knows,  nor  just  how,  but  it  was  easily  put  out,  as  there 
were  so  many  people  present  attending  the  service.  The  last  time  the 
conflagration  was  much  greater,  causing  a  great  deal  of  damage,  without 
any  one  being  able  to  find  out  if  it  was  by  accident  or  through  malice. 
In  order  to  avoid  similar  dangers  and  losses  the  Fathers  decided  to  put 
4  on  a  roof  of  tile  which  one  of  them  was  ingenious  enough  to  make, 
although  none  of  them  had  ever  learned  just  how  to  do  it.  The  Mission 
seems  now  to  be  free  from  fire  as  the  buildings  are  all  well  tiled  and  the 
other  Missions  have  seen  fit  to  imitate  their  example. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  139 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

The  Venerable  Father  Continues  His  Journey.     Visits  the  Mission  of 
San  Gabriel  and  Reaches  San  Diego.     An  Important  Conference. 

THE  desire  of  our  Venerable  Father  Junipero  to  achieve  the  founding 
of  new  Missions,  which  seemed  never  to  be  satisfied,  may  have  had 
to  do  with  the  shortening  of  his  life,  at  least  we  may  say  that,  hindered 
in  his  plans  to  found  the  Missions  which  had  been  projected,  for  the  lack 
of  laborers,  he  so  felt  the  burden  of  it  that  God  shortened  the  time  of  his 
pilgrimage  here  in  order  that  he  might  pass  on  to  the  eternal  life  and 
there  present  his  petitions  in  the  celestial  court,  asking  that  more  labor- 
ers be  sent  out  for  the  continued  work  of  evangelization.  He  had  now 
seen  the  founding  of  this,  the  fifth  of  the  Missions  to  be  established  in 
this  New  California,  and  three  were  lacking  of  those  which  had  been 
projected,  one  of  them  being  that  which  had  first  place  in  the  attention 
of  the  promoters  of  the  expedition,  namely,  that  of  the  Seraphic  San 
Buenaventura,  not  only  for  the  reasons  already  expressed  in  Chapter 
XXV,  but  also  because  they  had  learned  of  the  very  large  number  of 
people  which  inhabit  the  land  along  the  Channel  [of  Santa  Barbara]  and 
from  whom  much  spiritual  fruit  was  to  be  gathered  by  the  establishing 
of  this  Mission  in  the  place  designated  for  it  to  which  had  already  been 
given  the  name  of  The  Assumption  of  Our  Lady  and  where  there  was  a 
large  town  of  the  Indians.  Our  Apostolic  Fr.  Jimipero,  however,  had 
not  been  able  to  visit  this  place. 

Laboring  under  the  burden  of  this  great  desire  he  left  the  Mission  of 
San  Luis  [Obispo]  and  hastened  on  his  journey  as  it  was  very  important 
that  he  should  arrive  as  soon  as  possible  at  San  Diego.  He  traversed 
the  eighty  leagues  which  lie  between  San  Luis  and  San  Gabriel,  all  of 
them  well  populated  with  pagan  people  and  in  the  twenty  leagues  along 
the  coast  which  constitutes  the  Channel  of  Santa  Barbara,  where  it 
seemed  to  him  the  ntimber  of  Indians  was  much  greater  even  than  had 
been  represented  to  him,  and  each  one  of  them  made  his  heart  ache  with 
the  desire  of  establishing  in  that  region  at  least  three  Missions.  He  ' 
reached  the  end  of  the  Channel  on  his  way  south  and  there  found  the 


I40  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

place  afterwards  called  The  Assumption,  and  supposing  that  it  was  the  ( 
same  place  which  had  been  designated  for  the  Mission  of  San  Buena- 
ventura the  Venerable  Father  did  not  wish  to  go  on  without  exploring  1 
it.  This  he  did,  accompanied  by  the  Commander,  and  it  seemed  to 
both  of  them  that  the  place  was  very  appropriate  for  the  establishment 
of  a  Mission,  as  all  the  requirements  in  the  regulations  for  such  Missions 
were  here  abundantly  met.  Having  finished  the  exploration  they  went 
on  their  way. 

They  arrived  at  the  Mission  of  San  Gabriel  (which  was  the  only 
one  that  the  Venerable  Servant  of  God  had  not  seen)  and  here  he  was 
filled  with  extraordinary  joy  on  seeing  such  a  goodly  ntimber  of  Chris- 
tians who  were  praising  God.  He  showed  them  all  great  affection,  as 
he  did  also  to  their  parents  who  were  still  gentile,  and  it  gave  him  special 
pleasure  to  see  that  fine  stretch  of  wide  plain  capable  of  sustaining  a  large 
city.  He  congratulated  the  Fathers  and  thanked  them  for  the  great 
labor  which  they  had  accomplished,  both  in  spiritual  and  temporal 
things,  and  then,  without  stopping  to  rest,  he  continued  his  journey, 
taking  with  him  one  of  the  friars  that  he  might  receive  the  equipment 
belonging  to  the  Mission  as  well  as  that  of  San  Buenaventura.  So  they 
arrived  without  incident  at  the  port  of  San  Diego  on  the  i6th  of  Sep- 
tember. 

He  had  no  sooner  arrived  than  he  sought  an  interview  with  the  naval 
officers,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  after  so  long  a  journey  he  was  extremely 
weary,  especially  as  this  Venerable  Servant  of  God  still  suffered  seriously 
from  the  sore  on  his  foot  and  leg.  In  the  conversation  with  the  captain 
and  commander  of  the  vessel,  Don  Juan  Perez,  his  fellow  countryman, 
he  made  him  see  how  impossible  it  was  to  make  the  trip  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  leagues  by  land  to  Monterey,  through  pagan  territory,  without 
the  necessary  equipment  of  good  mules  to  carry  the  freight  and  of 
troops  to  act  as  guard,  setting  forth  at  the  same  time  the  great  suffering 
which  had  been  caused  by  the  delay  of  the  vessel,  this  fact  contributing 
in  no  small  degree  to  the  desertion  of  the  troops  and  of  their  going  over 
to  the  pagan  people  where  they  became  depraved  by  their  pagan 
customs,  and  if  others  had  not  done  the  same  thing  it  was  because  of  the 
hope  that  the  vessel  would  arrive  soon;  and  now,  if  when  two  of  them 
had  arrived,  the  great  need  was  not  met,  they  were  likely  all  of  them  to 
march  off,  and  so  bring  about  the  loss  of  the  three  Missions  of  the  north 
which  had  been  founded. 

The  Commander  tried  to  escape  from  this  obligation  by  alleging 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  141 

that  the  season  was  greatly  advanced  and  that  winter  would  overtake 
him  while  in  that  port,  and  that  the  packet-boat  was  not  built  to  stand 
the  hard  weather  of  that  high  latitude.  But  the  Venerable  Father 
Junipero  greatly  encouraged  him,  saying  that  he  must  trust  in  God  our 
Lord  for  whom  he  was  doing  this  service,  as  the  main  purpose  of  the 
work  was  that  of  converting  souls,  and  our  Lord  would  not  allow  the 
weather  to  interfere  as  the  service  that  they  were  doing  was  for  His  holy 
sake.  With  these  strong  arguments,  to  which  must  be  added  his  great 
respect  for  the  virtue  of  the  Venerable  Fr.  Junipero  and  his  faith  in  his 
prayers.  Commander  Perez  resolved  that  he  would  go  up  the  coast  with 
the  packet-boat  and  its  cargo  as  far  as  Monterey  and  that  he  would 
immediately  order  preparations  for  a  voyage. 

Having  arranged  this  business  which  had  had  most  to  do  with  his 
coming  to  San  Diego,  Fr.  Junipero  set  himself  to  conclude  his  remaining 
tasks.  This  fervent  prelate  found  himself  with  fotu*  Missionaries  in 
San  Diego,  counting  in  the  company  Father  Dumetz  of  Old  California, 
and  he  had  at  hand  my  letter  in  which  I  sent  him  word  of  two  other 
Missionaries  whom  I  had  sent  out  from  Loreto.  In  view  of  this  he  sent 
off,  with  the  provision  train  which  Commander  Fages  had  charge  of,  the 
Fathers  Crespi  and  Dumetz,  intending  to  leave  in  San  Diego  with 
Father  Fr.  Luis  Jayme,  the  Father  Fr.  Tomas  de  la  Pena  (of  the  Province 
of  Cantabria),  who  had  just  arrived  from  Old  California,  and  then  with 
the  others  he  planned  to  go  on  to  the  founding  of  the  Mission  of  San 
Buenaventura.  As  soon  as  he  found  himself  free  from  the  labor  of  these 
preparations,  both  as  to  the  sailing  of  the  packet-boat  for  Monterey 
and  also  the  dispatching  of  the  provision  train  which  was  to  go  by  land, 
our  Venerable  Father  Junipero  began  to  prepare  the  things  necessary  for 
the  founding  of  the  new  Mission,  expecting  every  moment  the  arrival 
of  the  two  Fathers  mentioned  in  the  letter. 

He  discussed  this  matter  with  Commander  Fages  and  the  need  of  a 
military  guard  as  well  as  other  necessary  equipment  for  the  work.  Here 
he  discovered  that  the  door  of  succor  was  shut  in  his  face,  and  that  this 
Commander  had  gone  ahead  and  was  making  such  arrangements  that, 
if  carried  out,  instead  of  helping  him  to  found  more  Missions,  would 
greatly  imperil  the  safety  of  those  which,  with  so  great  labor,  he  had 
sacrificed  himself  to  establish.  In  order  to  oppose  these  dispositions, 
which  could  not  help  but  result  in  such  loss,  the  Venerable  Father  made 
use  of  every  means  which  his  skill  and  prudence  could  dictate,  but  he 
found  that  he  could  accomplish  nothing  in  this  direction.    This  situation 


142  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

led  him  to  understand  that  the  change  in  plan  had  its  origin  in  the  change 
that  had  taken  place  in  the  Government,  and  because  of  the  absence  of 
the  Viceroy  and  the  Inspector-General  under  whose  charge,  as  the  persons 
most  immediately  concerned  in  this  Conquest,  the  Missions  had  enjoyed 
hitherto  abundant  protection;  and  seeing  that  the  new  Viceroy  was  not 
yet  acquainted  with  the  situation  of  the  new  Missions,  the  lack  of  direct 
orders  in  regard  to  them  had  produced  this  opposition.  He  went  over 
the  whole  matter  with  the  three  Missionaries  present  in  San  Diego,  that 
is,  the  two  of  that  place  and  the  other  from  San  Gabriel,  and  it  seemed 
to  them  that  it  was  quite  necessary  that  either  the  Venerable  Father 
President  or  some  other  Missionary  whom  he  might  be  pleased  to  send, 
should  be  sent  to  Mexico  in  order  to  report  to  his  Excellency. 

This  idea  of  presenting  a  report  of  the  work  greatly  appealed  to  the 
Venerable  Father,  but  in  order  better  to  reach  a  decision  he  ordered 
that  the  next  day,  being  the  13th  of  October,  and  dedicated  to  St 
Daniel  and  his  companions,  a  solemn  Mass  should  be  sung  in  order  that 
they  might  ask  God  for  Divine  direction  as  to  what  might  be  his  will. 
In  the  meantime  each  of  the  friars  agreed  to  take  it  to  the  Lord  in  prayer. 
This  they  did  and  after  the  singing  of  the  Mass,  a  meeting  of  the  four 
Missionaries  was  held.  They  were  all  of  one  mind  in  the  matter  and 
that  was,  that  the  Venerable  Father,  who  was  President  and  who  knew 
aU  about  the  situation,  should  go;  but  if,  on  account  of  his  lameness  and 
his  advanced  age,  that  could  not  be,  that  he  should  name  any  one  he 
pleased. 

Upon  hearing  this  statement  of  his  three  companions  our  Venerable 
Fr.  Junipero  agreed  that  he  would  make  the  journey  of  two  hundred 
leagues  by  land,  after  the  sea  voyage,  setting  on  one  side  all  thought  of 
his  lameness  and  his  advanced  age  of  sixty  years.  Putting  all  his  trust 
in  God,  for  whose  sake  he  took  up  the  burden,  he  embarked  on  the  packet- 
boat  "San  Carlos"  which  sailed  from  San  Diego  on  the  20th  of  October, 
and  after  a  voyage  of  two  weeks  anchored  in  the  harbor  of  San  Bias 
without  incident.  On  going  ashore  in  this  port  the  Venerable  Father 
learned  news  which  will  be  set  forth  in  the  following  chapter,  in  a  copy 
of  a  letter  which  I  shaU  insert,  which  he  might  have  learned  about  in 
the  harbor  of  San  Diego  if  he  had  delayed  his  sailing  for  but  a  few  days, 
as  I  had  written  letters  in  September  and  they  were  carried  by  the 
Fathers  who  were  en  route  for  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura  and 
who  arrived  in  San  Diego  just  after  the  sailing  of  the  vessel. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  143 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

The  Journey  of  the  Venerable  Father  from  San  Bias  to  Mexico  City. 
Copy  of  the  Letter  which  He  Wrote  Me  from  Tepic, 
Happenings  on  the  Way. 

AS  soon  as  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  set  foot  in  the  land  of 
Christians,  having  left  his  heart  behind  him  among  the  pagan 
people  of  Monterey,  he  started  for  Tepic  with  the  companion  whom  he 
had  brought  with  him,  a  converted  young  man  from  among  the  first  to 
be  baptized  in  Monterey.  The  lad  was  of  much  service  to  him  because 
he  attracted  the  attention  of  every  one,  not  only  on  the  road,  but  in 
Mexico,  and  even  of  the  Viceroy  himself,  who  looked  upon  him  as  an 
emblem  of  the  first  fruits  of  this  Spiritual  Conquest.  On  arriving  at 
Tepic  and  finding  lodgment  in  the  Convent  of  the  Holy  Cross  of  the 
Province  of  Jalisco,  he  wrote  me  the  following  letter: 

Long  live  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph.  Beloved  Friend  and  Esteemed  Sir:  If  your 
Reverence  has  received  the  letter  which  I  charged  the  Fathers  of  San  Diego  to  write 
to  you,  when  I  saw  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  do  so,  you  will  already  have  learned 
of  my  having  sailed.  The  voyage  was  without  incident,  through  God's  mercy,  for, 
after  a  fortnight  at  sea,  we  anchored  in  San  Bias  and  went  ashore  on  the  4th  of  the 
present  month.  It  was  not  till  then  that  I  heard  the  news  of  the  complete  transfer 
of  our  Missions  [of  Lower  California  to  the  charge  of  the  Dominican  Order].  Upon 
arrival  here  on  the  7th  (where  I  found  Fathers  Martinez  and  Imaz,  the  rest  having 
already  departed  for  Mexico)  I  learned  that  your  Reverence  had  sent  a  courier  to 
San  Diego  who  must  have  arrived  there  very  shortly  after  my  departure.  Father 
Martinez  tells  me  that  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian,  out  of  the  score  or  more  of  the 
Missionaries  who  still  remain  in  those  old  stations,  has  assigned  only  four  for  the  new 
ones;  and  he  also  says  that  your  Reverence  would  like  to  know  if  more  are  needed. 

To  this  I  reply:  that  it  seems  to  me  it  would  be  a  great  pity  that  the  friars  who 
are  so  near  at  hand  should  have  to  return  again  over  so  long  a  road,  greatly  increasing 
labor  and  expense.  Father  Cruzado  has  asked  me  permission  to  retire  and  it  is  his 
due,  seeing  how  much  he  has  labored  and  he  cannot  do  any  more.  Father  Patema, 
only  at  my  most  earnest  request,  will  perhaps  remain,  if  affairs  take  on  a  better 
aspect,  but  he  has  also  asked  for  permission  (to  retire).  I  have  asked  for  a  third 
Missionary  for  Monterey,  in  order  that  I  may  be  free  to  go  and  come,  because  it  is 
quite  necessary  that  there  should  be  there  two  persons  to  say  Mass  on  the  Holy  Days, 
one  in  the  Mission  and  the  other  at  the  presidio.     I  believe  that  it  would  bring  joy 


144  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

to  the  College  if  we  cotild  found  the  Missions  of  San  Buenaventura,  Santa  Clara  and 
San  Francisco,  and  with  the  assistance  which  I  hope  to  obtain  this  will  not  be  difficult. 
On  the  other  hand,  in  view  of  the  tremendous  distance,  it  would  be  very  desirable 
indeed  if  we  had  one  or  two  extra  men. 

From  all  this,  in  a  word,  it  is  my  judgment  that  at  least  eight  or  ten  should  go  up 
at  once  on  the  first  voyage  of  the  vessel,  and  seeing  that  the  return  trip  is  easily  made 
on  account  of  favorable  wind,  not  very  much  would  be  lost.  Some  one  may  say  that 
the  question  of  food  might  prove  an  obstacle  to  my  proposal,  but  to  this  I  answer 
that  there  is  plenty  to  eat,  and  as  the  friars  will  be  scattered  in  various  Missions,  none 
of  them  will  suffer  lack,  and  I  trust  in  God  that  in  much  less  than  a  year,  which  is  the 
longest  time  help  in  the  future  might  be  delayed,  none  of  them  will  ever  die  of  hunger. 

Father  Martinez  also  tells  me  that  your  Reverence  is  one  of  those  commissioned 
to  go  by  the  Father  Guardian,  although  the  matter  is  left  to  your  decision.  If  you 
decide  that  we  are  to  live  and  to  die  there  together  it  will  be  for  me  the  greatest  of 
consolations,  but  this  only  I  want  to  say,  that  your  Reverence  should  do  as  God  may 
direct  you  and  I  will  be  resigned  to  the  Divine  will.  I  would  also  say  that  my  pro- 
posal concerning  the  above  mentioned  number  of  friars  is  my  desire  simply  in  case 
the  tenor  of  the  letter  of  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian  is  such  that  this  interpretation 
may  be  given  it;  but  if  he  says  clearly  that  only  four  are  to  be  sent  and  that  the  rest 
are  to  return  to  the  College  I  have  nothing  more  to  say,  only  pray  that  God  may 
remedy  the  matter,  and  in  the  meantime  let  us  be  obedient. 

If  there  were  only  time  for  me  to  write  all  this  to  the  Father  Guardian  and  have 
a  reply  and  send  it  on  to  you  before  the  departure  of  the  friars,  the  whole  matter 
could  be  easily  arranged,  but  I  doubt  very  much  if  this  be  possible.  I  set  out  to- 
morrow, God  willing,  on  my  journey.  Give  my  regards  to  all  my  dear  brethren, 
both  those  I  know  and  those  I  do  not,  and  I  remain  praying  that  God  keep  your 
Reverence  many  years  in  His  Holy  Love  and  Grace.  Convent  of  the  Holy  Cross  at 
Tepic.  November  10,  1772.  I  kiss  the  hand  of  your  Reverence.  Your  affectionate 
Brother,  Friend  and  Servant. — Fr.  Junfpero  Serra.  To  the  Rev.  Father  Lector  and 
President,  Fr.  Francisco  Palou. 

It  seems  that  God,  our  Lord,  as  the  Master  of  his  own  mystic  es- 
tate, answered  the  fervent  desires  of  his  diligent  steward,  who  with  so 
great  earnestness  was  seeking  for  laborers  for  the  fields  of  spiritual 
harvest,  for  at  the  very  time  that  I  received  the  above  letter  I  received 
another  from  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian,  dated  the  nth  of  November 
(written  one  day  after  that  of  Father  Fr.  Jtmipero),  in  answer  to  one 
which  I  had  written  him  in  September,  proposing  exactly  the  same  thing 
which  the  Venerable  Father  now  writes  me  in  November,  and  I  had 
only  added  that  I  hoped  his  answer  would  come  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
that  in  case  the  transfer  of  the  Missions  was  to  take  place,  I  would  see 
to  it,  as  I  did  not  doubt  that  his  Reverence  had  considered  it  advisable. 
To  this  he  replied  in  the  letter  of  date  already  mentioned  as  follows: 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  145 

"I  agree  with  all  you  suggest  concerning  the  sending  of  the  Fathers  to 
Monterey,  only  I  fear  that  there  will  be  a  stipend  only  for  those  belong- 
ing to  the  presidio."  With  this  reply  at  hand  I  started  for  the  north 
with  seven  others,  not  counting  the  two  that  I  had  sent  on  ahead;  so 
that  it  will  be  seen  that  our  Venerable  Father  had  his  wishes  granted; 
namely,  that  the  founding  of  the  new  Mission  would  not  be  delayed  for 
the  lack  of  Missionaries. 

Our  servant  of  God  continued  his  journey  toward  Mexico,  taking 
with  him  the  Indian  neoph3rte  from  Monterey.  On  arriving  at  the  city 
of  Guadalajara,  eighty  leagues  distant  from  San  Bias,  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty  from  Mexico,  both  were  taken  sick  with  a  serious  and 
malignant  typhoid  fever  which  brought  them  so  near  to  death's  door 
that  they  both  received  extreme  unction.  The  Venerable  Father  felt 
much  less  concerned  about  himself  than  about  the  Indian,  because  the 
lad's  relatives  and  countrymen  in  Monterey  would  find  it  hard  to  believe 
that  he  had  met  with  a  natural  death,  and  so  difficulties  might  arise 
which  would  hinder  the  work;  so  he  continued  to  pray  with  all  his  heart 
(as  he  often  told  me  he  did)  for  the  restoring  to  health  of  the  young  man, 
forgetting  all  about  himself.  Anticipating  that  something  of  this  sort 
might  happen  to  him  on  the  road,  he  had  prepared  a  paper  containing 
notes  of  all  the  things  which  he  considered  of  importance  which  he  would 
like  to  ask  His  Excellency  for,  and  this  paper  had  been  sent  from  Tepic 
to  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian  of  the  College  in  case  he  were  to  die  on 
the  road.  But  God  permitted  him  to  regain  his  health  and  also  see 
his  companion  recovered.  As  soon  as  they  were  somewhat  convales- 
cent they  continued  their  joimiey. 

They  arrived  at  the  city  of  Quer^taro,  which  is  only  forty  leagues 
from  Mexico  City,  and  having  gone  to  lodge  in  the  College  of  the  Holy 
Cross,  the  Reverend  Father  fell  sick  again  with  the  same  malady.  He 
was  immediately  placed  in  the  infirmary,  as  he  himself  believed  he  was 
about  to  die,  as  he  said  to  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian  of  the  College, 
and  afterwards  related  to  me.  On  the  third  visit,  which  one  of  the 
doctors  of  the  college  made  him,  he  ordered  him  to  receive  the  Sacra- 
ments. That  same  afternoon,  in  which  he  was  to  receive  the  Holy 
Viaticum,  another  of  the  doctors  came  to  the  College,  though  it  was  not 
his  turn  to  be  on  duty,  and  having  heard  from  one  of  the  friars  that  they 
were  going  to  administer  the  Sacraments  to  the  Father  President  of 
Monterey,  moved  by  curiosity  more  than  by  the  sense  of  his  duty  as 


146  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

a  physician,  he  went  in  to  see  him,  without  any  one  having  asked  him 
to  do  so.  He  spoke  to  the  sick  man  and  inquired  concerning  his  dis- 
ease; then  he  felt  his  pulse  and  immediately  said  to  the  niu-se,  "Is  this 
the  Father  to  whom  they  are  to  administer  the  Sacrament?  If  this  is 
the  case,  you  had  better  administer  them  to  me  as  well.  Get  up, 
Father.  You  are  well  and  there  is  nothing  the  matter  with  you.  Send 
word  to  the  Father  Guardian  that  you  are  not  to  receive  the  Sacra- 
ments." The  prelate  hurried  in,  filled  with  joy  on  hearing  of  his  sudden 
restoration,  and  he  said  to  him,  "If  it  were  not  so  late  (it  was  the  hoiu* 
of  the  compline  at  the  close  of  which  the  Sacraments  were  to  have  been 
administered  to  the  Venerable  Father)  I  would  have  him  arise  at  once, 
as  he  is  indeed  well,  but  to-morrow  he  shall  get  up  and  as  soon  as  he  has 
recovered  strength  he  shall  go  on  his  way."  This  he  did  and  arrived 
at  Mexico  on  the  6th  of  February,  1773,  very  tired,  careworn  and  ema- 
ciated. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERJRA  147 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

Favorable   Dispositions    which    He   Secured  from   His   Excellency,   the 
Viceroy f  for  the  Spiritual  Conquest. 

OF  such  great  importance  was  the  visit  of  our  Venerable  Father 
President  to  the  City  of  Mexico  that  doubtless,  if  he  had  not  under- 
taken this  toilsome  journey  ,there  would  have  been  the  greatest  danger  that 
the  Spiritual  Conquest  would  have  been  abandoned;  for  as  His  Excel- 
lency, the  Knight  Commander  Don  Antonio  Maria  Bucareli,  had  so  re- 
cently taken  charge  of  the  affairs  of  State,  he  was  without  particular 
instruction  as  to  what  this  Conquest  really  was,  and  did  not  know  that 
its  existence  depended  upon  the  Department  of  San  Bias  for  the  sending 
out  of  help  by  sea  to  these  establishments,  as  there  was  no  other  means 
of  communication.  It  seems  that  up  to  the  month  of  February  there  had 
been  received  no  report  at  all  at  the  palace  concerning  the  port  and  con- 
cerning the  ships,  or  the  time  when,  as  in  other  years,  the  ships  should  be 
out  at  sea  and  about  to  arrive  at  their  destinations.  On  the  other  hand 
the  question  had  come  up  whether  it  was  not  advisable  to  abandon  the 
port  of  San  Bias  and  to  send  the  people  elsewhere. 

There  were  some  who  had  said  to  His  Excellency  that  when  he  had 
delivered  to  the  Commander  in  charge  of  the  troop  at  the  garrison  of 
Monterey  the  provision  for  the  troop  and  to  the  Sindico  of  the  College  the 
stipends  for  the  Missionaries  there  was  nothing  else  to  be  done.  Others, 
still  more  pious,  though  taking  into  consideration  that  these  new  es- 
tablishments could  not  maintain  communication  with  Mexico  in  order  to 
provide  themselves  with  clothing  and  provisions  except  by  sea,  said  that 
for  this  purpose  there  was  no  need  of  a  Department  at  San  Bias:  that 
things  could  be  sent  on  mule-back  as  far  as  the  Provinces  of  Sinaloa  ' 
and  the  port  of  Guaymas  (about  five  hundred  leagues  from  Mexico), 
and  from  that  port  they  said  that  the  freight  could  be  transported  in 
launches  (of  which  there  are  none)  up  the  Gtdf  as  far  as  the  Bay  of 
San  Luis,  about  two  hundred  leagues,  and  finally,  from  there  on  mule- 
back  they  coiild  be  carried  to  Monterey,  a  distance  of  three  hundred 
leagues,  through  territory  entirely  occupied  by  pagan  peoples.    By 


148  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

this  plan  it  would  be  necessary  to  carry  the  freight  of  clothing  and  pro- 
visions eight  hundred  leagues  by  land  and  nearly  two  hundred  by  sea, 
and  to  meet  the  expenses  of  freightage  it  would  require  every  bit  of  the 
funds  set  aside  for  the  stipend  of  the  Missionaries  and  for  the  commis- 
sary department,  besides  two  years  that  would  be  spent  in  the  journey, 
without  taking  into  account  what  might  be  lost  on  the  way.  This  was 
the  state  of  things  as  respects  the  question  of  provisioning  the  establish- 
ments when  Father  Junipero  arrived  in  the  city. 

After  informing  himself  well  concerning  these  matters  and  receiving 
the  blessing  of  the  Reverend  Father  Guardian  of  the  College,  he  sought 
an  interview  with  His  Excellency  in  order  to  treat  of  these  matters. 
The  latter  received  him  with  every  manifestation  of  affection  and  had 
him  give  an  account  of  the  reason  for  his  coming  to  the  capital.  When 
the  Viceroy  heard  his  story  he  replied  that  he  woiild  do  all  he  could  to 
help  in  the  work  of  the  Conquest  and  asked  that  he  (the  Father)  set 
down  in  writing  all  the  points  that  he  considered  of  importance  for  the 
best  welfare  of  the  Missions,  both  in  spiritual  and  in  temporal  things. 
To  this  the  Venerable  Father  replied  that  he  would  do  so,  but  that  he 
could  not  help  asking  that  he  immediately  give  orders  for  the  sending 
of  provisions  at  the  earliest  possible  moment,  because  if  help  was  not 
sent  out  from  San  Bias  there  was  no  other  source  from  which  it  could 
be  had.  When  His  Excellency  heard  this  he  asked  him  to  prepare  in 
writing  the  reasons  which  he  considered  justified  the  maintenance  of 
that  department,  as  the  question  of  abandoning  the  port  was  being 
considered.  As  a  result  of  this  first  visit  the  favorable  dispositions 
which  our  Venerable  Father  had  sp  much  desired  were  put  into  opera- 
tion. In  the  meantime  he  retired  to  the  College  in  order  to  prepare 
in  writing  the  reports  which  His  Excellency  had  asked  for,  and  this 
gentleman  sent  off  at  the  same  time  an  urgent  order  to  San  Bias,  com- 
manding that  the  work  on  the  construction  of  a  frigate  which  had  been 
begun  and  which  had  been  ordered  suspended,  shoiild  be  brought  to  a 
finish;  and  at  the  same  time  a  packet-boat  should  be  gotten  ready, 
loaded  with  provisions,  and  dispatched  with  all  speed  for  Monterey. 

This  was  done,  and  the  San  Carlos  set  sail  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Don  Juan  P^rez,  but  he  had  the  misfortune  to  encounter  bad 
weather  which  did  not  allow  him  to  get  out  of  the  Gulf  but  obliged 
him  to  put  in  at  the  harbor  of  Loreto  with  his  rudder  broken,  and  for  that 
reason  in  no  shape  to  continue  the  voyage.     Here  the  provisions  were 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  149 

unloaded  and  as  there  was  no  way  or  means  by  which  they  could  be 
forwarded  the  greatest  scarcity  fell  upon  the  Missions  which  they  had 
ever  suffered,  as  in  the  eight  months  which  it  lasted  milk  was  the  food 
for  all,  from  the  Commander  and  the  Fathers  down  to  the  humblest 
individual,  and  among  them  I  siiffered  with  the  rest,  but  thanks  to 
God,  we  were  all  in  good  health. 

The  Venerable  Father  Junipero  presented  the  report  which  His  • 
Excellency  had  asked  him  for  with  his  reasons  for  the  maintenance  of 
the  Department  of  San  Bias,  and  so  completely  did  they  satisfy  His 
Excellency  that  he  sent  the  original  copy  to  the  court  (in  Spain)  and 
received  in  return  a  royal  decree  ordering  the  conservation  of  that  port, 
and  that  they  should  give  to  it  everything  required  for  its  enlargement. 
For  this  purpose  His  Majesty  ordered  that  from  the  Departments  of 
Spain  seven  naval  officers,  lieutenants  and  ensigns  for  war-ships  and 
for  frigates,  should  be  sent  out,  as  well  as  squadron  pilates,  surgeons 
and  chaplains  to  man  the  vessels,  and  others  to  administer  the  affairs 
of  the  Department.  Having  obtained  from  His  Excellency  the  speedy 
rehabilitation  of  the  Department  of  San  Bias  and  the  forwarding  of 
provisions  for  the  colonies,  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  set  to  work 
to  prepare  another  report  in  which  he  indicated  the  necessary  disposi- 
tions for  the  carrying  on  of  the  Conquest  and  the  extension  of  our  Holy 
Catholic  faith.  These  he  presented  under  thirty-two  heads,  setting 
forth  in  each  one  the  reasons  which  proved  the  necessity  of  the  dis- 
positions required  and  the  benefit  which  would  result  if  carried  out. 
He  delivered  this  extensive  outline  personally  to  His  Excellency,  giving 
him  by  word  of  mouth  the  following  reasons:  "Your  Excellency,  I  put 
into  the  hands  of  Your  Excellency  this  outline  from  which  you  will 
see  that  what  I  say  is  the  simple  truth  and  that  what  I  set  forth  I  feel 
I  ought  to  say  in  conscience  because  I  consider  it  necessary  and  urgent, 
in  order  that  the  end  may  be  reached  which  His  Majesty  has  in  authoriz- 
ing these  large  expenses;  namely,  the  conversion  of  many  souls,  which 
for  a  lack  of  the  knowledge  of  our  Holy  Catholic  faith,  are  groaning 
under  the  tyrannous  slavery  of  the  enemy  of  souls  and  which  with  the 
help  of  these  means  and  dispositions  may  be  easily  accomplished.  I 
hope  that  Your  Excellency,  after  reading  what  I  have  written,  will 
determine  what  you  may  think  right  and  proper,  being  assured  that 
I  intend  to  return  and  that  I  desire  to  carry  out  the  plan  as  soon  as 
possible  if  I  can  obtain  what  I  have  asked  for.    In  that  case  I  shall 


ISO  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

return  very  content  indeed;  but  if  I  do  not  obtain  it  I  shall  go  away 
sad,  but  always  resigned  to  the  will  of  God." 

Such  humble  resignation  was  so  edifying  to  His  Excellency  that  he 
immediately  appointed  himself  Judge,  Pleader  and  Patron  of  the  cause. 
He  ordered  a  Coimcil  of  War  and  State  to  be  held,  over  which  he  himself 
presided,  and  when  each  point  of  the  outline  had  been  gone  over  and 
examined  by  all  the  members,  they  all  voted  in  favor  of  the  Conquest, 
granting  much  more  than  the  Venerable  Father  had  asked.  The  Coun- 
cil ordered  that  rules  shoiild  be  drawn  up  for  the  direction  of  the  gov- 
ernment which  shoiild  be  put  into  operation  in  order  to  avoid  those 
accidents  which  are  accustomed  to  result  from  the  sudden  changes  in 
commanders,  as  formerly  each  one  had  carried  out  the  plans  that  most 
suited  his  temperament.  The  ntimber  of  troops  was  increased,  a  pro- 
visional garrison  was  ordered  established  in  San  Diego,  and  afterwards 
another  one  in  this  port  of  San  Francisco,  and  later  another  one  in 
the  Channel  of  Santa  Barbara.  Orders  were  given  as  to  the  way  to 
provide  the  troops  with  provisions  and  clothing.  The  volunteers  of 
Cataluna  (foot  soldiers)  were  ordered  retired,  and  it  was  ordered  that 
from  now  on  all  the  troops  shoiild  be  leather-jacketed,  with  their  Captain 
Commander  from  the  same  corps,  as  this  troop  was  considered  more 
efficient  in  the  conquest  of  pagan  lands. 

For  the  development  of  the  Missions  already  founded,  as  well  as 
those  in  project,  the  rules  required  that  to  each  one***  should  be  given 
six  body  servants,  paying  them  salary  and  rations  on  account  of  the 
"  royal  treasury  for  a  period  of  five  years.  These  were  also  to  help  in 
the  labor  of  the  fields  in  order  that  from  their  example  the  neophytes 
might  learn  how  to  do  the  labor  and  how  to  become  diligent  and  so  be 
civilized.  There  were  many  other  provisions  very  favorable  and  help- 
ful for  the  Spiritual  Conquest  in  addition  to  a  great  donation  of  com, 
beans,  flour,  clothing,  etc.,  which  amounted  to  more  than  twelve  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  one  hundred  mules,  which  were  ordered  divided  among 
the  Missions. 

In  order  to  prevent  these  new  and  remote  Provinces  from  suffering 
need  hereafter  on  account  of  accidents  to  the  ships,  His  Excellency 
asked  the  Venerable  Father  President  if  it  would  not  be  worth  while  to 
♦  discover  a  pass  through  the  mountains  by  the  way  of  the  Colorado 
River,  in  order  that  it  might  be  possible  to  communicate  by  land  with 
this  Province  going  in  by  way  of  the  Provinces  of  Sinaloa,  Sonora  and 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  151 

the  others  of  New  Spain,  so  that  in  case  of  the  loss  of  the  vessel  it  would 
be  possible  to  send  aid  by  land. 

When  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  received  this  communication 
he  replied,  also  by  writing,  that  it  seemed  to  him  a  very  desirable  thing, 
adding  that  if  it  were  feasible  that  a  similar  exploring  expedition  try 
to  reach  the  Provinces  from  New  Mexico,  going  straight  across  on  the 
same  parallel  of  latitude  directly  to  the  port  of  Monterey. 

As  soon  as  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  saw  that  his  idea  met  with 
the  approval  of  the  Venerable  Father,  he  sent  orders  to  the  Captain  of 
the  garrison  of  Tubac  on  the  frontier  of  Sonora,  a  man  named  Don  Juan 
Bautista  Anza,  telling  him  to  take  the  troops  and  the  provisions  neces- 
sary and  to  start  on  an  exploring  expedition  from  his  garrison  to  that 
of  Monterey,  crossing  the  two  rivers  of  the  Gila  and  the  Colorado. 
This  was  done,  and  the  expedition  accomplished  its  purpose  without 
incident,  as  we  shall  see  later. 

As  a  result  of  the  frequent  discussions  and  the  long  conversations 
which  His  Excellency  had  with  the  earnest  Fr.  Junipero  during  the 
seven  months  in  which  the  latter  was  in  Mexico  City  he  became  much 
affected  by  his  religious  zeal  for  the  conversion  of  souls  and  the  ex- 
tension of  our  Catholic  faith  and  the  dominions  of  our  sovereign,  so 
that  he  found  it  difficult  to  satisfy  the  new  thirst  which  his  long  deal- 
ings with  the  Venerable  Father  had  caused,  while  treating  of  so  agree- 
able a  matter  as  that  of  bringing  about  the  evangelization  of  the  pagans, 
who  were  scattered  over  the  wide  region  of  three  hundred  leagues  of 
coast  territory,  now  made  known  through  the  explorations  of  the  ex- 
pedition. He  desired  to  know  if  there  were  not  gentile  people  beyond 
the  region  already  discovered  in  order  that  the  Spiritual  Conquest 
might  be  extended  to  them  also.  He  proposed  this  to  the  Venerable 
Father,  saying  that  he  desired  to  send  out  a  naval  expedition  to  explore 
the  coast  and  to  see  if  it  were  populated  and  if  there  were  any  good  ports 
for  the  establishing  of  new  colonies,  but  that  his  wish  could  not  be 
carried  out  for  lack  of  vessels  and  seamen  to  man  them. 

When  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  heard  this,  as  he  was  himself 
abnormally  thirsty  in  this  sense  (for  it  seemed  his  thirst  for  the  con- 
version of  souls  to  Christianity  never  could  be  mitigated,  nor  did  any 
diffictdty  seem  too  great  for  him),  not  only  praised  him  for  his  thought, 
but  offered  to  help  in  every  way,  saying  that  in  the  frigate  which  he 
had  ordered  finished  and  in  the  person  of  the  Captain,  Don  Juan  P^rez, 


152  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


His  Excellency  had  all  that  was  reqtdred  for  the  carrying  out  of  the 
plans,  as  they  co\ild  immediately  sail  from  Monterey  as  soon  as  he  had 
left  there  his  cargo  of  provisions  and  supplies.  Such  was  the  opinion 
which  His  Excellency  had  formed  of  the  Venerable  Fr.  Junipero,  that, 
without  consulting  any  other  than  the  opinion  of  his  Reverence,  he 
gave  the  necessary  orders  for  the  above  mentioned  expedition,  which 
proved  to  be  a  success,  as  we  shall  see  in  due  time. 


1 

be   I 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  153 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

He  Sets  Out  from  Mexico  for  San  Bias,  and  Embarks  for  These  Missions 

of  Monterey. 

AS  soon  as  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  found  himself  so  well  pro- 
vided with  aid  (the  donation  of  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy),  not 
only  for  the  maintenance  and  the  clothing  of  his  converted  children 
but  also  for  the  increasing  of  their  number,  he  began  to  count  the  hours 
until  he  could  set  out,  without  paying  any  attention  to  his  own  advanced 
age  or  to  the  incurable  malady  in  his  foot  which  he  seemed  to  have  for- 
gotten, as  he  made  no  attempt  to  have  it  treated,  though  there  was  such 
a  good  opportunity  to  do  so.  This  he  did  in  the  month  of  September, 
1773,  having  for  a  companion  the  Rev.  Father  Lector  Fr.  Pablo  Mugar- 
tegui,  from  the  Province  of  Cantabria,  whom  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian 
and  the  Venerable  Discretory  had  appointed  to  go  with  him.  This  was 
a  great  deHght  to  our  Venerable  Servant  of  God,  not  only  because  he 
would  have  a  companion  on  so  long  a  voyage  but  also  because  it  would 
mean  the  addition  of  one  more  laborer  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord.  He 
asked  that  he  might  say  good-bye  to  the  community  in  the  refectory, 
begging  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  kiss 
the  feet  of  every  one  of  the  friars,  which  he  did,  and  asked  him  for  his 
benediction,  and  that  they  would  all  pardon  the  unworthy  example  he 
had  given  them,  and  that  they  would  commend  him  to  God  as  now  they 
would  not  see  his  face  again.  All  were  so  deeply  moved  that  they  shed 
copious  tears  as  they  had  been  greatly  edified  by  his  wonderful  humility 
and  by  the  zeal  with  which  he  undertook  so  long  a  voyage  at  his  ad- 
vanced age  and  with  his  health  so  broken  that  he  could  hardly  stand. 
They  all  feared  that  he  would  die  on  the  road,  but  this  fervent  Father, 
putting  all  his  trust  in  God,  undertook  the  journey  of  two  hundred 
leagues  by  land  and  they  arrived  without  incident  in  Tepic.  Here  they 
had  to  remain  till  January  of  the  following  year,  waiting  for  the  ships 
to  be  gotten  ready  and  loaded.  The  Venerable  Fr.  Junipero  charged 
them  to  put  on  board  the  frigate  the  equipment  for  Monterey  and  the 
Missions  of  the  North,  and  to  load  on  the  packet-boat  "San  Antonio" 


154  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

everything  destined  for  the  port  of  San  Diego  and  for  the  other  Missions, 
as  this  vessel  was  to  sail  directly  to  that  port.  The  great  donation  of  His 
Excellency  he  ordered  divided  between  the  two  ships.  Everything  was 
finally  arranged  and  they  went  on  board,  the  Venerable  Father  and  his 
companion,  on  the  24th  of  January  of  the  year  1774,  in  the  new  frigate 
called  "Santiago  of  New  Galicia." 

When  about  to  go  on  board  there  were  several  who  reminded  the 
Venerable  Father  of  what  he  had  said  before.  They  said:  "Father 
President,  your  prophecy  has  been  fulfilled,  for  you  will  remember  that 
when  you  came  on  shore  from  Monterey  you  told  us  to  hurry  up  with 
the  building  of  the  frigate  as  you  intended  to  return  in  it  to  that  port. 
But  we  laughed  at  you  then  as  we  were  only  thinking  of  setting  fire  to 
it  in  order  to  get  the  old  iron  out  of  her  hulk,  as  every  one  was  saying 
that  the  port  was  to  be  abandoned.  But  now  we  see  your  prophecy  ful- 
filled and  that  you  are  really  to  sail  in  it.  May  God  keep  your  Rever- 
ence and  give  you  a  good  voyage."  To  this  the  Servant  of  God  smiled 
with  his  usual  modesty  and  tried  to  avoid  any  credit  being  given  to 
himself.  "  It  was  the  intense  desire  of  seeing  a  large  vessel  employed  in 
this  service,  one  which  would  hold  a  goodly  supply  of  provisions  for 
my  poor  people  up  there,  which  led  me  to  pronounce  the  wish,  but  now 
that  God  has  granted  our  desire,  let  us  thank  Him  for  it,  and  I  want  to 
thank  you  also,  and  all  the  rest  who  have  worked  so  hard  for  the  sake  of 
the  poor  creatures  of  Monterey." 

The  vessel  set  sail  on  the  24th  of  January  and  although  the  plan  was 
to  sail  straight  for  Monterey,  a  minor  incident  obliged  them  to  make  the 
port  of  San  Diego  on  the  13th  of  March,  after  a  voyage  of  forty-nine  days 
without  incident.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  Venerable  Father  was  very 
anxious  to  reach  Monterey  and  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos  he  could  not 
help  rejoicing  in  the  Providence  which  allowed  him  to  touch  at  this  port 
and  bring  succor  to  those  whom  he  found  there  and  who  were,  as  were 
all  the  rest,  in  the  gravest  need.  With  the  arrival  of  the  vessel  there  was 
plenty,  and  thanks  to  God  they  were  never  to  have  a  similar  experience. 
I  will  leave  to  the  imagination  of  the  reader  the  joy  and  contentment 
which  the  Venerable  Father  must  have  felt  as  he  found  his  followers  in 
good  health  and  happy  ia  the  midst  of  their  work,  in  spite  of  the  hard- 
ships they  had  endured;  and  his  joy  was  greatly  increased  when  he  saw 
the  large  number  of  converts,  whom  he  caressed  as  if  they  were  his  own 
children,  seeking  in  every  way  to  show  his  great  affection  for  them.    The 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  155 

Fathers  were  equally  pleased  to  see  him  again  and  overjoyed  to  notice 
how  much  stronger  and  apparently  younger  he  seemed  than  when  he 
went  away. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  could  have  traveled  much  more  comfort- 
ably by  sea  to  Monterey  in  the  frigate  which  was  soon  to  go  on,  he  chose 
rather  to  go  the  one  hundred  and  seventy  leagues  by  land  through  the 
pagan  territory,  as  he  wanted  to  give  an  embrace  to  each  one  of  his  co- 
workers as  he  visited  the  Missions  one  by  one,  and  at  the  same  time 
thank  them  for  not  having  abandoned  their  posts  but  rather  stood  firm 
in  the  midst  of  so  great  scarcity  and  for  so  long  a  time.  But  with  the 
joy  of  visiting  each  Mission,  the  journey  seemed  short  to  our  Venerable 
Father  because  he  found  so  many  new  Christians  on  the  way. 

He  also  had  the  great  pleasure  of  meeting  on  the  road  Captain  Don  1 
Juan  Bautista  de  Anza,  of  Sonora,  who  was  on  his  way  back  from 
Monterey  after  having  carried  out  the  instructions  given  by  His  Excel- 
lency, the  Viceroy,  to  open  a  road  from  Sonora  to  Monterey,  as  we  have 
indicated  in  the  preceding  chapter.  He  told  his  Reverence  that  the 
pass  had  been  discovered  and  communication  established  with  the 
provinces  of  Sonora,  and  the  news  of  course  greatly  pleased  him.  On  the 
other  hand,  when  he  told  him  of  the  meager  supply  of  food  at  Monterey, 
how  there  had  not  been  even  a  little  cake  of  chocolate  with  which  to 
honor  his  presence  at  their  breakfast  table,  but  that  they  were  all  re- 
duced simply  to  milk  and  a  few  vegetables,  there  being  nothing  with 
which  to  make  bread  or  anything  of  that  sort,  the  Father  could  not  keep 
back  the  tears  and  he  tried  to  hasten  his  journey  so  as  to  bring  them 
help  as  soon  as  possible  in  the  interval  of  the  arrival  of  the  frigate  which 
had  sailed  from  San  Diego  on  the  6th  of  April,  on  the  same  date  in 
which  the  Venerable  Father  also  set  out.  The  vessel  arrived  in  Mon- 
terey on  the  9th  of  May  and  his  Reverence  on  the  i  ith  of  the  same,  so 
that  there  was  general  rejoicing  and  happiness  not  only  in  view  of  the 
help  brought,  but  on  account  of  the  very  favorable  arrangements  which 
had  been  made  for  the  promoting  of  the  Spiritual  Conquest.  Once  for 
all  cruel  hunger  was  banished  from  these  colonies,  and  we  had  besides 
the  presence  of  our  venerable  Prelate,  who,  with  his  example,  his  fervor 
and  enthusiasm,  kindled  a  like  fervor  in  all  to  press  on  in  the  work  of  the 
Lord's  Vineyard. 


iS6  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

The  Frigate  Leaves  on  an  Exploring  Expedition  up  the  Coast  Taking 
with  it  Two  Missionary  Fathers.      A  Second  Expedition 
is  Made  with  the  Same  Object. 

AS  has  been  already  indicated  in  Chapter  XXXV,  from  the  many 
conversations  held  with  our  Venerable  Father,  there  was  engen- 
dered in  the  noble  heart  of  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  a  desire  for  the 
saving  of  the  gentiles  which  did  not  content  itself  with  the  discovery  of 
Monterey,  but  longed  for  the  further  propagation  of  the  Catholic  Faith 
in  the  regions  beyond  if  they  were  found  to  be  inhabited.  So  it  was  in 
order  to  find  out  about  them  that  the  frigate  "Santiago,"  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Don  Juan  Perez,  as  soon  as  it  had  discharged  its 
cargo  at  Monterey,  started  out  to  explore  the  coast  as  far  north  as 
possible,  leaving  time  to  return  to  Monterey  for  the  equinox.  His 
Excellency  had  expressed  the  wish  that  one  of  the  Missionaries  be  sent 
to  accompany  the  expedition,  trusting  in  the  promise  which  God  had 
made  to  our  Holy  Father  St.  Francis  (this  promise  he  never  forgot  from 
the  first  time  he  heard  it  from  the  lips  of  the  Venerable  Fr.  Junipero) , 
namely,  that  the  pagan  people  had  only  to  see  one  of  his  sons  in  order 
to  be  immediately  converted  to  our  Holy  Faith. 

In  order  to  carry  out  these  devout  wishes  of  His  Excellency,  two 
Missionaries  were  sent,  Fr.  Juan  Crespi  and  Fr.  Tomas  de  la  Pefia 
Saravia,  both  of  them  generously  offering  themselves  for  the  voyage,  in 
spite  of  the  dangers  which  must  accompany  the  exploration  of  an  un- 
known coast,  which  had  never  been  charted,  and  therefore  making  it 
likely  that  they  would  run  upon  some  island  or  shoal  or  headland  and 
so  be  shipwrecked.  But,  putting  all  trust  in  God  because  of  the  noble 
end  they  had  in  view,  after  receiving  the  benediction  of  the  Prelate  they 
went  on  board  on  the  nth  of  June  of  the  year  1774,  and  at  once  set  sail, 
returning  on  the  27th  of  August  with  no  other  accident  than  a  few  cases 
of  scurvy  among  the  crew. 

From  this  exploring  expedition  the  desires  of  His  Excellency  were 
only  in  part  fulfilled.    The  frigate  went  north  as  far  as  latitude  5  5°,  where 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  157 

they  found  a  very  large  island  which  projects  into  the  sea  and  which 
they  called  Santa  Margarita,  because  it  was  discovered  on  that  Saint's 
day.  From  that  island  back  to  Monterey  they  explored  all  the  coast, 
which  they  found  free  from  rocks  and  islands,  with  many  good  anchor- 
ages. They  could  see  that  it  was  populated,  though  they  did  not  go  on 
shore.  Once  when  they  tried  to  do  so  in  order  to  set  up  the  standard  of 
the  Holy  Cross,  as  His  Excellency  had  so  much  desired,  they  encountered 
a  very  strong  wind  which  nearly  upset  the  launch  and  put  the  sailors  in 
danger  of  death. 

Although,  as  we  have  said,  they  did  not  go  on  shore,  they  did  succeed 
in  having  dealings  with  the  natives  in  many  places,  as  these  latter  came 
out  in  their  canoes  of  wood,  which  are  well  built  and  capable  of  holding 
quite  a  large  number  of  persons.  They  came  up  to  the  frigate  and  came 
on  board  to  exchange  their  wooden  trays,  well  worked  and  hollowed  out, 
well-woven  cloths  made  of  fur  which  was  long  like  wool,  striped  with 
various  colors  and  very  gaudy,  petates,  or  mats,  made  of  the  bark  of  trees 
and  of  various  colors,  woven  as  if  it  were  palm,  as  were  also  their  hats, 
which  were  of  the  same  material  and  pyramidal  in  shape,  with  a  narrow 
brim.  These  they  exchanged  for  pieces  of  iron,  which  they  seemed 
anxious  to  obtain,  as  well  as  for  beads  and  other  trinkets. 

The  Indians  were  affable,  of  good  build  and  of  good  color.  They 
wore  the  skins  of  animals  and  the  cloth  I  have  spoken  of,  but  some  of 
them  were  entirely  nude.  The  women  were  modestly  covered,  were  of 
good  color  and  not  ill-looking,  though  they  were  made  to  look  ugly  by 
the  custom  they  have,  even  with  children,  of  perforating  the  lower  lip  and 
hanging  from  it  a  little  piece  of  wood.  With  the  slightest  movement  of 
the  mouth  as  in  speaking,  this  would  flop  up  and  cover  the  mouth  and 
nose.  All  these  details  were  forwarded  to  His  Excellency  by  the  Vener- 
able President,  as  well  as  the  diaries  of  the  Fathers.  These  reports  were 
by  him  forwarded  to  the  royal  Court  and  gave  great  pleasure  to  His 
Excellency. 

THE  SECOND  EXPEDITION 

As  the  great  desires  of  His  Excellency  were  not  yet  satisfied,  he  ordered 
a  second  expedition,  directing  them  to  go  farther  north  and  to  try  to 
see  if  there  were  not  some  port  that  woiild  make  it  possible  to  go  on 
shore  and  to  take  possession  of  the  land  in  the  name  of  our  Catholic 
Majesty  by  planting  there  the  standard  of  the  Cross.     In  order  to  carry 


iS8  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

out  these  desires,  he  decided  that  in  addition  to  the  frigate,  a  schooner 
should  be  sent  along  to  help  in  the  work  of  exploration.  He  named  as 
commander  of  the  expedition  and  captain  of  the  frigate,  Don  Bruno  de 

•  Ezeta,  lieutenant  of  the  royal  Squadron,  and  as  second  in  command  Don 
Juan  P^rez,  because  he  had  practical  knowledge  of  the  coast.     The 

f  schooner  was  put  under  the  charge  of  Don  Juan  Francisco  de  la  Bodega 
y  Cuadra.  His  Excellency  asked  of  our  College  that  two  friars  be 
named  to  accompany  the  expedition  and  the  Fathers  Fr.  Miguel  de  la 
Campa  and  Fr.  Benito  Sierra  were  named. 

The  expedition  left  the  harbor  of  San  Bias  in  the  middle  of  March  of 
the  year  1775,  and  was  exposed  immediately  to  head  winds  and  strong 
currents  which  carried  them  below  latitude  1 7°,  where  they  found  them- 
selves on  the  loth  of  April.  But  the  wind  changed  the  following  day  and 
they  made  their  wdy  northward,  and  on  the  9th  of  June  were  at  latitude 
41°  6'.  They  drew  near  to  shore  and  found  a  very  desirable  port  which 
was  large  enough  to  shelter  quite  a  number  of  vessels  at  once.  They 
went  on  shore  and  found  the  Indians  very  friendly  and  courteous.  On 
the  nth  of  that  month  they  took  formal  possession  of  the  land  by  offer- 
ing up  a  High  Mass  and  preaching  a  sermon,  terminating  the  ceremony 
with  the  hymn,  Te  Deum  laudamus,  and  as  it  was  the  day  of  the  most 

/  Holy  Trinity,  they  gave  this  name  to  the  port.  They  provided  them- 
selves with  wood  and  water,  receiving  help  in  the  labor  from  the  natives 
to  whom  they  had  given  presents  and  food  during  the  eight  days  spent 
there.    Afterwards  they  continued  to  explore  the  coast. 

On  the  13th  of  July  they  were  at  latitude  47°  23'  when  they  found 
a  fine  beautiful  roadstead  in  which  they  anchored.  On  the  next  day  the 
launch  with  the  commander  and  one  of  the  Fathers  went  ashore  and  set 
up  a  Cross  upon  the  shore,  but  were  hindered  from  holding  further  cere- 
monies of  solemnizing  their  possession  of  the  land  by  the  strong  swell 
and  surf.  Going  on  from  that  place  they  continued  the  voyage  north- 
ward, both  vessels  keeping  together  till  the  30th  of  the  month  of  July, 
when  the  schooner  disappeared  and  was  not  seen  again  until  October, 
when  they  returned  to  the  port  of  Monterey,  which  was  the  point 
agreed  upon  for  the  reunion. 

When  the  commander  saw  that  he  had  lost  track  of  the  schooner, 
he  began  to  fear  it  had  been  lost  or  that  it  had  turned  back.  But  none 
the  less  the  frigate  continued  north  as  far  as  latitude  49°  30',  which 
point  was  reached  on  the  i  ith  of  August.     Taking  into  accoimt  that  the 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  159 

greater  part  of  the  crew  was  suffering  from  scurvy,  a  council  of  officers 
was  held  and  it  was  decided  to  return,  keeping  close  to  the  coast  in  search 
of  the  schooner,  and  exploring  the  stretches  which  they  had  seen  on  their 
way  up.  This  they  did  and  arrived  on  the  29th  of  August  with  the 
greater  part  of  the  crew  sick.  But  after  they  had  taken  the  proper 
remedies,  all  got  well. 

The  schooner,  which  had  lost  sight  of  the  flagship  on  the  30th,  kept 
going  up  the  coast,  supposing  that  the  frigate  was  ahead,  and  as  they  did 
not  find  her  they  went  as  far  as  latitude  58°,  where  they  found  a  fine 
port,  wide  and  well  protected,  which  they  called  that  of  Our  Lady  of 
the  Remedies.  They  took  possession  of  it  by  setting  up  there  a  Holy 
Cross,  almost  in  sight  of  a  village  of  the  pagans  who  were  living  near  the 
shore.  Here  they  took  on  wood  and  water  and  then  sailed  away  from 
this  port  of  our  Lady  of  the  Remedies. 

Although  they  made  repeated  attempts  to  force  their  way  farther 
north,  they  were  not  able  to,  on  account  of  the  head  winds  and  the 
strong  currents  which  drove  them  back  to  latitude  55°,  a  little  above  the 
northern  point  of  Santa  Margarita  island,  the  highest  point  reached  by 
the  previous  expedition.  Here  they  drew  in  shore  and  found  a  strait, 
about  two  leagues  wide  between  one  point  and  another,  with  an  island 
in  the  middle,  which  they  called  San  Carlos.  As  they  saw  that  the  sea 
extended  far  into  the  land,  even  beyond  the  horizon,  they  thought  that 
if  in  reality  there  should  be  a  passage  through  to  the  North  Sea  [Atlantic] 
to  the  Pacific,  which  the  English  navigators  had  so  earnestly  looked  for, 
it  was  very  probable  that  this  was  the  outlet.  In  view  of  this,  and 
remembering  that  the  Viceroy  had  dispatched  the  expedition,  they  gave 
it  the  name  of  the  Pass  of  Bucareli,  which  is  found  at  latitude  55°  ex- 
actly. They  went  ashore  on  one  of  these  points  and  took  possession  of 
it  by  setting  up  a  large  Cross.  They  then  left  the  Pass  of  Bucareli  and 
kept  on  down  the  coast,  making  a  map  of  it  in  order  to  form  the  charts. 

On  the  3d  of  October,  the  eve  of  Our  Holy  Father  St.  Francis,  they 
found  themselves  near  to  the  Point  of  the  Kings  (Punta  de  los  Reyes) , 
and  four  leagues  farther  to  the  north  they  discovered  a  port,  where  they 
anchored,  and  it  seemed  to  them  that  at  the  entrance  there  was  a  sand- 
bar. As  soon  as  they  had  anchored,  there  gathered  on  the  shore  more 
than  two  hundred  natives  of  all  ages  and  sexes,  and  all  very  glad  to  see 
them.  At  night  they  built  bonfires.  On  the  next  day,  the  holy  day  of 
Our  Holy  Father  St.  Francis,  the  schooner  was  at  the  point  of  being 


i6o  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

lost,  as  there  was  a  very  heavy  sea  running,  which  dragged  them  very 
near  shore  and  also  carried  away  their  launch  and  smashed  it  to  pieces. 
Fearing  that  the  schooner  would  meet  with  a  like  fate,  they  drew  up 
anchor  and  left  the  port,  to  which  they  had  given  the  name  of  Bodega, 
and,  making  out  to  sea,  sailed  for  Monterey,  where  they  anchored  on 
the  7th  of  October,  and  found  there  at  anchor  the  frigate  which  they 
had  not  seen  since  the  night  of  the  29th  of  July,  and  the  packet-boat 
"  San  Carlos,"  which  had  returned  from  the  exploring  of  the  port  of  Our 
Holy  Father  St.  Francis. 

A  week  after  the  arrival  of  the  schooner  they  all  went  to  the  Mission 
of  San  Carlos,  from  the  Captain  down  to  the  last  cabin  boy,  in  ful- 
fillment of  their  promise,  to  confess  and  to  communicate  in  the  High 
Mass,  sung  in  honor  of  our  Lady  of  Bethlehem,  which  is  venerated  in 
that  Mission.  The  Captain  asked  that  this  Mass  be  offered  up  as  a  sign 
of  gratitude  for  the  happy  conclusion  of  the  expedition,  of  which  the 
naval  officers  had  sent  on  an  account  to  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy. 
The  Venerable  President  also  sent  him  congratulations  and  received  in 
reply  the  following  letter  which  I  insert  here,  copying  it  from  the  original 
which  I  have  at  hand. 

LETTER   FROM  HIS   EXCELLENCY,   THE   VICEROY 

The  new  discoveries  made  by  the  royal  vessels  along  those  coasts  are  the  subject 
of  the  letter  which  your  Reverence  wrote  me  on  the  12th  of  October  of  the  preceding 
year  of  1775,  and  on  accoimt  of  them  and  the  honor  that  has  come  to  me,  you  have 
sent  me  your  good  wishes  which  I  receive  with  great  pleasure.  I  think  that  your 
Reverence  should  also  be  congratulated  and  thanked  for  the  part  you  took  in  ordering 
that  the  good  news  should  be  celebrated  with  all  the  solemnity  possible  in  that  place. 
I  have  the  satisfaction  to  know  that  your  zeal  and  that  of  your  companions,  the  other 
Fathers,  is  the  best  kind  of  a  support  for  the  extension  of  the  Gospel,  and  such  are 
the  pious  intentions  of  His  Majesty.  May  God  keep  your  Reverence  many  years. 
Mexico,  20th  of  January,  1776.  Knight  Commander  Don  Antonio  Bucareli  y 
Ursua.    To  the  Rev.  Father  Fr.  Junlpero  Serra. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  i6i 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

The  Third  Expedition  of  Exploration  Along  the  Coast. 

THE  fervent  heart  of  His  Excellency  did  not  remain  at  rest  or  satisfied 
with  the  expeditions  already  made  and  he  planned  another  with 
greater  care  and  larger  preparations.  Although  this  did  not  take  place 
till  the  year  1779,  I  have  thought  it  better  to  insert  it  here  in  relation 
with  the  two  preceding  ones  in  order  to  leave  my  narrative  free  to  follow 
the  historic  account  of  the  founding  of  these  Establishments  and  the 
Apostolic  labors  of  my  Venerable  Father  Lector  and  Presiderit,  Fr. 
Junipero  Serra. 

As  soon  as  His  Excellency  Don  Bucareli  received  the  news,  together 
with  the  diaries  of  the  second  expedition,  he  set  about  arranging  for  a 
third  exploration,  by  first  giving  an  account  of  what  had  been  discovered 
to  the  royal  court  and  then  indicating  his  purpose  in  the  matter.  While 
waiting  for  a  reply  he  ordered  the  construction  of  a  frigate  especially 
adapted  for  this  expedition,  and  he  also  sent  to  the  country  of  Peru  a 
naval  lieutenant  and  a  pilot,  graduated  as  Ensign,  in  order  that  they 
might  purchase  in  the  port  of  Callao  a  frigate  at  royal  expense  and 
bring  it  to  the  harbor  of  San  Bias.  All  this  he  accomplished  and  when 
he  had  the  approval  of  the  King  and  the  royal  edict,  the  third  ex- 
pedition was  sent  out  with  orders  to  discover  the  passage  through  to  the 
North  Sea. 

His  Excellency  ordered  the  preparation  of  the  two  frigates,  the  new 
one  being  called  ''The  Princess,"  which  was  to  serve  as  flagship,  the 
other  from  Peru  was  named  "La  Favorita."  Everything  was  put  on 
board  with  provisions  to  last  for  at  least  one  year.  He  also  ordered  a 
troop  of  marines,  for  such  service  as  might  be  necessary.  He  named  as 
Commander  the  Lieutenant  of  navy,  Don  Ignacio  Arteaga,  and  as  sub- 
alterns other  two  Lieutenants  and  two  Ensigns  of  marine,  with  the 
corresponding  Pilots.  His  Excellency  asked  of  our  College  that  two 
Missionaries  go  on  the  expedition,  and  Fathers  Fr.  Juan  Antonio  Riobo 
and  Fr.  Mathias  Noriega  were  named.  The  frigates  sailed  from  the 
port  of  San  Bias  on  the  1 2th  of  February  of  the  year  1 779,  taking  another 


i62  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

man  as  guide,  seeing  that  Don  Juan  P^rez  had  died  a  natural  death  at 
sea  on  the  return  voyage  of  the  second  expedition,  between  Monterey 
and  San  Bias. 

They  left  with  the  strict  understanding  that  the  two  ships  were  to 
stay  together  except  in  case  of  some  urgent  necessity,  and  in  that  case  a 
place  of  meeting  should  be  assigned,  as  for  example,  the  Point  of  Bucareli 
at  55°  was  chosen.  They  reached  that  point  prosperously  on  the  3d 
of  May  and  entered  behind  the  Point  where  they  found  a  large  archipel- 
ago, or  Mediterranean  sea,  peopled  with  many  islands.  Here  they  re- 
mained until  the  first  of  July,  spending  almost  two  months  in  the  ex- 
ploration, and  found  thirteen  ports  of  the  very  best,  each  one  of 
them  capable  of  holding  an  entire  squadron.  They  were  not  able  to 
find  out  if  any  one  of  the  inlets  communicated  with  the  North  Sea,  be- 
cause they  did  not  find  any  limit  to  their  extension  in  that  direction, 
and  because,  in  order  really  to  make  a  satisfactory  exploration,  a  sep- 
arate expedition  would  be  necessary  which  would  have  no  other  pur- 
pose. So  they  returned  to  their  work  of  trying  to  see  how  far  they  could 
explore  northward  along  the  coast. 

Nothwithstanding,  during  the  time  they  were  in  this  archipelago, 
they  made  a  map  and  formed  charts  of  as  much  of  the  coast  as  they 
explored  and  sounded.  They  held  intercourse  with  all  the  people  who 
inhabit  the  islands  and  the  shores.  They  found  a  robust  people,  well 
formed  and  of  good  color.  They  had  their  wooden  launches,  which  were 
quite  large  and  with  which  they  traversed  those  inland  seas  and  did 
their  fishing.  The  men  of  the  vessels  succeeded  in  purchasing  three 
lads  and  two  girls,  and  they  were  all  later  baptized,  as  we  shall  see. 
After  finishing  their  exploration  of  this  Port  of  ports,  which  they  called 
Bucareli,  they  sailed  toward  the  north  on  the  first  of  July. 

On  the  first  of  August  they  found  themselves  in  latitude  60°.  They 
had  needed  a  whole  month  to  advance  only  five  degrees  and  this  was 
not  on  account  of  bad  weather,  but  because  the  coast  leads  away  to 
the  northwest.  They  found  at  that  latitude  a  large  port  with  all  the 
conveniences  which  one  might  wish,  as  to  shelter  from  wind,  wood  and 
water  and  a  great  abundance  of  fish  which  were  very  healthy  and  very 
savory,  easy  to  catch.  Of  them  a  goodly  supply  was  taken  and  salted 
down  for  use  on  the  voyage.  They  went  ashore  and  took  possession  of 
the  port,  giving  it  the  name  of  Santiago.  A  large  Cross  was  set  up  and 
a  procession  was  held  in  which  the  hymn  Vexilla  Regis  was  stmg. 

As  the  Commander  noticed  that  this  port  had  an  arm  of  the  sea  which 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  163 

extended  far  away  to  the  north,  he  ordered  that  an  armed  launch,  with 
one  official  and  pilot  and  with  soldiery  should  set  out  to  explore  it. 
They  did  so  and  traveled  several  days.  One  day  they  saw  coming  two 
large  launches  filled  with  Indians,  each  one  of  them  carrying  more  men 
than  did  our  launch.  They  showed  signs  of  peace  and  made  our  men 
presents  of  fish  and  other  things  they  carried,  and  our  men  returned  the 
favor  with  beads,  mirrors  and  other  trinkets  which  they  greatly  prize. 
So  they  bade  them  good-by  and  went  on. 

The  officer  and  pilot  who  were  in  command  of  the  launch,  when  they 
saw  that  they  had  gone  a  long  way  in  and  to  the  north,  very  much 
further  than  was  the  port  where  the  frigate  was  anchored,  and  still 
there  was  no  apparent  termination  to  the  sea,  but  still  ahead  was  a  clear 
horizon,  they  were  afraid  to  go  farther,  but  decided  it  was  better  to 
return  and  to  give  an  account  of  what  they  had  seen  to  the  Commander. 
This  they  did. 

While  the  launch  was  busy  with  this  exploration,  those  of  the  frigate 
tried  to  communicate  with  the  many  gentile  people,  who,  with  their 
launches  and  canoes  of  various  shapes,  came  about  them  and  climbed  on 
board.  All  these  they  tried  to  please  by  giving  them  food  and  beads 
and  receiving  in  return  fish  and  some  of  the  trinkets  which  they  made. 
Among  the  many  men  who  came  on  board  they  noticed  one  who  was 
quite  different  from  the  rest  in  that  the  frigate  did  not  seem  to  be  a 
source  of  wonderment  to  him,  but  he  acted  as  if  he  was  used  to  large 
ships  of  this  sort.  They  asked  him  if  he  had  ever  seen  large  ships  before 
and  he  replied  by  means  of  signs  that  he  had,  and  then  pointing  to  a 
mountain  which  stood  out  from  the  shore  he  gave  the  men  to  under- 
stand that  beyond  that  hill  there  were  many  large  ships.  From  that  all 
were  led  to  suspect  that  in  that  direction  the  Russians  must  have  some 
harbor  or  agency,  as  they  are  said  to  trade  in  those  latitudes.  They 
were  confirmed  in  this  because  they  could  see  the  volcano  called  Saint 
Elias,  and  several  of  them  thought  that  that  gentile  who  had  shown  no 
surprise  at  the  sight  of  the  frigates,  might  have  been  some  Russian,  in 
the  guise  of  an  Indian  who  had  been  sent  thither  to  explore  and  observe. 

When  the  launch  arrived  from  its  exploration,  all  expected  that  the 
Commander  would  order  the  two  frigates  to  explore  that  arm  of  the  sea, 
but  instead  he  gave  orders  to  follow  up  the  exploration  along  the  coast, 
keeping  in  sight  of  land.  This  they  did  a,nd  soon  observed  that  the 
coast  line  ran  to  the  south  (of  west). 

When  the  ship  was  at  latitude  59°,  that  is,  to  the  south  of  the  port  of 


i64  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Santiago,  there  came  up  a  storm  of  sea  and  rain  and  mist  which  pre- 
vented them  from  seeing  or  knowing  whither  they  were  being  driven. 
The  vessels  were  made  to  lay  to  and  so  they  passed  twenty-four  hours. 
When  the  clouds  lifted  enough  for  them  to  see  their  danger,  they  dis- 
covered that  they  were  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  islands,  thrust  into 
the  midst  of  an  archipelago.  Recognizing  the  very  imminent  peril  in 
which  they  were,  the  Commander  (who  was  especially  devoted  to  Our 
Lady  of  the  Ride)  ordered  that  her  image  be  suspended  over  the  quarter 
deck  and  that  a  "Salve"  be  sung.  This  was  done  with  great  faith  and 
trust  in  the  patronage  of  Our  Lady,  and  immediately  the  clouds  lifted 
enough  to  enable  them  to  see  a  large  bay  in  one  of  the  islands,  and  here 
the  Commander  ordered  the  vessel  to  draw  in  and  cast  anchor.  This 
was  done  all  right  and  all  were  saved  from  the  danger  in  which  they 
were.  They  explored  the  bay  which  they  named  after  our  Lady  of  the 
Rule,  and  they  found  several  good  places  for  anchorage.  They  went  on 
shore  and  took  possession  of  the  island  with  the  same  ceremonies  that 
we  have  described  as  taking  place  at  the  port  of  Santiago.  In  this  place 
no  dealings  were  held  with  the  natives,  as  none  were  seen,  though  in  the 
distance  the  smoke  of  their  fires  was  observed. 

When  the  Commander  saw  that  many  of  the  men  were  sick,  that  the 
season  was  advanced,  and  that  the  equinox  was  at  hand,  he  did  not  wish 
to  carry  farther  the  exploration,  but  considered  that  the  expedition  had 
accomplished  its  task,  so  he  gave  orders  to  the  pilots  to  sail  in  the  direc- 
tion of  some  of  the  ports  of  the  Missions  in  order  to  cure  the  sick  and  to 
find  shelter  from  the  equinoctial  storms.  This  they  did  and  entered 
the  port  of  San  Francisco  on  the  14th  and  15th  of  September,  where  they 
remained  until  the  end  of  October.  They  celebrated  in  this  Mission 
the  Feast  of  Thanksgiving  with  High  Mass  and  sermon  in  honor  of  Our 
Lady  of  the  Remedies,  whose  image  in  brass,  large  and  well-sculptured, 
following  the  model  of  the  original  which  is  in  Mexico  City,  adorned  with 
its  fine  frame  of  beaten  silver  and  with  its  glass  placed  in  a  cedar  niche, 
was  presented  to  this  church  by  Don  Juan  Bodega  y  Cuadra,  Captain 
of  the  Peruvian  frigate  named  ''Our  Lady  of  the  Remedies,"  as  well  as 
"La  Favorita."  The  image  was  placed  in  the  principal  altar,  her 
feast  being  celebrated  on  the  3d  of  October  with  High  Mass  and  ser- 
mon, and  on  the  next  day  with  the  same  solemnity  and  with  all  the 
people  in  attendance,  the  feast  of  our  Holy  Father  St.  Francis  was 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  165 

celebrated  (as  he  is  the  Patron  Saint  of  the  Mission  and  of  the  Port), 
likewise  with  High  Mass,  sermon  and  procession. 

During  the  month  and  a  half  that  the  ships  were  in  port,  the  men 
were  all  cured  of  their  maladies  and  the  pilots  finished  their  drawings  of 
the  maps  of  all  the  coasts  and  ports.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  baptizing 
three  of  the  gentile  boys  who  I  have  said  were  brought  from  the  port  of 
Bucareli.  The  other  two,  who  were  a  little  larger  and  needed  instruc- 
tion, were  held  in  reserve  till  they  should  reach  San  Bias,  as  they  had 
not  yet  learned  our  language.  When  about  to  leave  our  port  for  San 
Bias  a  land  courier  arrived  from  Old  California  with  the  sad  news  of  the 
death  of  His  Excellency  Viceroy  Frey  Antonio  Bucareli.  This  meant 
great  sadness  to  us  all  for  we  had  lost  a  great  benefactor  who  had  been  a 
good  patron  of  the  Missions.  I  do  not  doubt  that  in  Heaven  he  has 
received  his  reward  for  the  many  souls  which  have  been  won  through 
the  assistance  which  he  gave  to  this  Spiritual  Conquest.  His  death 
seriously  affected  also  the  men  of  the  navy  as  they  presimied  the  ex- 
peditions would  cease,  and  also  because  with  the  same  mail  came  the 
news  of  wars  with  the  English.  Their  suspicions  were  verified  later  and 
the  work  of  exploration  was  suspended. 

Although  our  Venerable  Father  Junipero  did  not  have  a  personal 
part  in  these  maritime  expeditions,  I  could  not  help  inserting  the  narra- 
tive of  them  here  because  they  had  their  origin  in  that  painful  voyage 
he  made  to  Mexico  City,  as  it  was  due  to  his  Apostolic  zeal  that  His 
Excellency  the  Viceroy  was  stirred  to  extend  the  exploration  to  those 
remote  regions.  His  Excellency  was  fully  assured  that  the  principal 
object  of  the  expeditions  wovild  be  carried  out,  as  he  had  the  utmost 
faith  in  the  indefatigable  zeal  of  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero,  as  we 
see  in  the  letter  inserted  in  the  preceding  chapter,  and  another  letter 
which  he  wrote  at  the  same  time  of  which  I  copy  a  part  here  and  also  add 
the  postscript. 

COPY    OF    HIS    excellency's    LETTER 

The  report  of  the  Missions  which  your  Reverence  has  sent  with  your  letter  of  the 
5th  of  February  of  last  year  has  given  me  the  greatest  pleasure  because  I  see  the 
progress  which  has  been  made,  due  to  your  Apostolic  zeal  and  to  that  of  the  other 
Fathers.  I  have  sent  an  account  of  it  to  the  King.  And  now  I  am  sure  that  the 
time  will  come,  if  the  work  goes  on,  when  His  Majesty  may  see  realized  there  estab- 
lishments which  will  fully  carry  out  His  royal  and  pious  desires  for  the  propagation 


i66  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

of  the  Faith  in  those  remote  regions.     May  God  keep  your  Reverence  many  years. 
Mexico,  20th  of  January,  1776. 

COPY    OF    THE    POSTSCRIPT  jjH 

The  port  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  discovered  by  Don  Bruno  Ezeta,  invites  us  to  the 
founding  of  a  Mission  and  in  order  not  to  lose  sight  of  this  object,  which  can  help  so 
materially  in  the  extension  of  the  Gospel,  we  ought  to  consolidate  these  Stations, 
and  this  is  what  I  expect  the  fervent  zeal  of  your  Reverence  will  finally  accomplish. 
In  order  to  establish  ourselves  in  the  most  remote  of  the  points  discovered,  it  is  neces- 
sary that  these  places  of  evangelistic  efiEort  should  be  able  to  provide  for  their  own 
material  support,  and  so  I  hope  that  the  zeal  of  the  Fathers  will  be  directed  to  the 
development  of  the  fields  and  of  the  herds  of  cattle.  The  expense  of  maintaining 
garrisons,  although  it  is  very  considerable,  does  not  concern  me  so  much  as  the 
difficulty  of  their  transportation  from  San  Bias,  and  the  many  uncertainties  which 
arise  on  account  of  the  sea  voyages. —  Knight  Commander  Don  Antonio  Bucareli  y 
Ursua. —  To  the  Rev.  F.  Fr.  Junipero  Serra. 

If  this  zealous  ruler  had  lived  to  hear  the  report  of  the  last  expedition 
he  might  have  seen,  as  did  our  Venerable  Father  Junipero,  what  a  very 
considerable  increase  from  the  cattle  had  been  obtained.  Each  of  the 
Missions  had  been  given  only  eighteen  head  at  the  beginning.  In  the 
last  report  sent  in  for  the  preceding  year  of  1784,  the  whole  nine  Missions 

^  reported  5,384  head  of  cattle,  5,629  head  of  sheep  and  4,294  head  of 
goats,  although  these  last  two  kinds  were  not  sent  out  at  the  time  of  the 
founding  of  the  Missions,  but  this  fine  increase  was  obtained  from  a  few 
animals  which  the  Missions  had  solicited  privately.  The  Venerable 
Father  Founder  also  had  the  privilege  of  seeing  harvested,  just  before 
his  death,  a  goodly  supply  of  wheat,  beans,  barley,  com  and  other 
vegetables,  making  a  total  for  the  nine  Missions  of  fifteen  thousand, 

♦  eight  hundred  fanegas  [about  24,000  bushels].  This  amount  is  suffi- 
cient not  only  to  sustain  the  Missions  but  plenty  is  left  to  provide  the 
troops.  If  this  abundance  could  have  been  known  to  His  Excellency 
as  it  was  known  to  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero,  who  can  doubt  but 
that  the  Catholic  Faith  would  have  been  by  now  extended  to  the  very 
last  of  the  new  points  discovered,  or  at  least,  the  clarion  sound  of  the 
Gospel  would  now  be  echoing  through  the  archipelago  of  the  famous 
Port  of  Bucareli? 

But  as  all  this  was  suspended  with  the  lamented  death  of  the  fervent 
Don  Bucareli,  we  have  to  comfort  ourselves  with  the  fact  that  the  har- 
vest fields  have  been  discovered,  as  well  as  with  the  fact  that  the  first 
fruits  of  that  people  are  already  gathered  in  Heaven.     The  three  small 


\ 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  167 

children  whom  I  baptized  in  this  Mission  have  died,  and  a  little  later,  of 
the  two  older  ones  who  were  taken  to  San  Bias  to  be  baptized,  the  girl 
died  soon  after  being  baptized.  I  do  not  doubt  but  that  these  four 
blessed  souls  will  intercede  with  God  for  the  conversion  of  their  com- 
patriots who  groan  under  the  tyrannous  yoke  of  the  Enemy,  begging  the 
Lord  that  he  send  laborers  to  preach  and  to  instruct  in  the  law  of  the 
Gospel  in  order  that  others  may  obtain,  as  they  have,  the  delights  of 
Heaven  for  all  eternity. 

I  have  thought  best  to  insert  all  this  information  far  in  advance  of  my 
story,  for  the  benefit  of  the  curious  reader  that  he  may  have  before  him 
the  facts  concerning  these  Missions,  as  well  as  those  relating  to  the  mari- 
time expeditions  made  for  the  sake  of  extending  the  Holy  Catholic 
Faith  and  the  dominions  of  our  Catholic  Monarch.  He  can  now  read 
with  even  greater  interest  the  account  of  the  new  Missions  to  be  estab- 
lished and  of  the  Apostolic  labors  of  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  and 
his  companions,  as  we  shall  relate  them  in  the  following  chapters. 


i68  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 

Account  of  the  Continued  Apostolic  Labors  of  the  Venerable  Father  Presi- 
dent on  His  Return  to  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos. 

A  FEW  days  after  the  arrival  of  the  Venerable  Father  President  at 
his  Mission  of  San  Carlos  (Monterey),  which  was  in  the  middle  of 
May  of  the  year  1774,  the  new  Commander,  Don  Fernando  de  Rivera  y 
Moncada,  Captain  of  the  Leather  Jackets,  arrived  to  take  the  place  of 
Don  Pedro  Pages,  graduated  Captain  and  Lieutenant  of  the  Volunteer 
Troop  of  Cataluna,  in  accordance  with  the  decree  of  the  Council  of  War 
and  State,  on  account  of  the  fact  that  the  Leather  Jacket  soldiers  are 
much  better  adapted  for  the  subjection  of  the  gentiles  than  foot-soldiers. 
The  recruits  were  brought  overland  from  Sinaloa  by  the  said  Captain 
Rivera.  As  soon  as  the  fervent  Father  President  saw  himself  freed  from 
other  cares,  as  the  frigate  had  sailed  away  with  the  first  expedition  and 
"El  Principe,"  which  had  arrived  the  next  day  after  the  sailing  of  the 
other,  had  unloaded  its  cargo  and  had  sailed  for  San  Diego  to  leave 
there  the  cargo  destined  for  that  port;  being  free,  I  say,  of  the  many 
trials  he  had  formerly  had  on  accoimtof  a  lack  of  provisions  and  clothing, 
he  began  to  cast  his  net  for  the  gathering  in  of  the  pagans  by  inviting 
them  to  the  Mission.  There  were  so  many  of  them  ready  to  attend  the 
teaching  that  every  day  he  had  a  great  circle  of  catechumens  about  him 
whom,  with  the  aid  of  the  interpreter,  he  instructed  in  Christian  Doc- 
trine and  the  necessary  mysteries.  It  was  in  these  holy  exercises  that 
he  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  day  and  little  by  little  as  they  were 
sufficiently  instructed,  they  were  baptized,  and  so  very  shortly  the  num- 
ber of  Christians  was  greatly  increased  as  others  kept  coming  and  asking 
for  instruction. 

But  this  did  not  satisfy  the  ardent  zeal  of  our  Venerable  Father 
Junipero,  even  when  he  knew  that  the  other  Missionaries  were  doing  the 
same  thing  in  the  other  four  Missions;  but  his  heart  longed  for  the 
establishing  of  the  others,  as  there  was  now  an  abundance  of  friars  seeing 
that  they  had  come  up  from  Old  California  an,d  had  not  been  assigned 
work.    It  is  true  that  the  new  Ordinances  read  that  the  founding  of 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  169 

new  Missions  was  to  be  suspended  until  an  increase  could  be  effected  in 
the  number  of  the  troops,  but  it  was  possible  to  interpret  the  matter 
favorably  to  the  enterprise  in  that  the  clause  read  as  follows:  *' Pro- 
vided, that  it  may  be  deemed  possible  to  foimd  one  or  two  Missions  by 
reducing  the  guards  in  those  Missions  which  are  nearest  to  the  garrisons, 
and  by  taking  a  few  more  soldiers  from  the  garrisons  when  their  absence 
would  not  mean  a  serious  lack.'^ 

Availing  himself  of  this  open  door  of  escape  in  the  Ordinances,  he 
planned  to  found  one  Mission,  at  least  half  way  between  San  Diego  and 
San  Gabriel,  tmder  the  advocacy  of  San  Juan  Capistrano.  The  Vener- 
able Father  discussed  this  matter  with  the  new  Commander,  Don  Fernan- 
do Rivera,  who,  in  agreement  with  him,  assigned  for  a  guard  four  soldiers 
from  each  garrison  and  two  from  each  of  the  Missions  of  San  Diego  and 
San  Carlos.  The  Venerable  Father  Junipero  named  as  the  Missionaries 
for  the  work  two  of  those  who  had  been  sent  up  from  Old  California. 
All  this  he  reported  to  His  Excellency,  who,  besides  approving  the  same, 
showed  his  great  pleasure  in  the  plan,  as  is  indicated  by  the  following 
letter: 

In  view  of  the  arrangements  made  with  the  Commander  Don  Fernando  Rivera  y 
Moncada  concerning  the  founding  of  the  new  Missions  to  which  you  refer  in  your 
letter  of  the  17th  of  August  of  last  year,  your  Reverence  also  gives  me  the  agreeable 
news  of  your  determination  to  found,  in  addition  to  the  Mission  of  the  port  of  San 
Francisco,  another  with  the  name  of  San  Juan  Capistrano,  between  San  Diego  and 
San  Gabriel,  for  which  have  been  named  the  Fathers  Fermin  Francisco  Lasuen  and 
Fr.  Gregorio  Amurrio,  to  whom  has  been  granted  the  necessary  guard  and  provided 
the  other  things  which  the  memorial  calls  for,  of  which  your  Reverence  has  made  a 
copy. 

All  this  information  greatly  increases  my  pleasure  and  reveals  very  clearly  the  un- 
wearying efforts  with  which  your  Reverence  has  undertaken  to  bring  about  the  success 
of  these  Missions.  God  is  visibly  favoring  you  in  these  services  as  well  as  the  King 
in  his  purpose  in  making  the  heavy  expenses  necessary,  in  that  as  the  Missions  have 
increased  as  well  as  the  number  of  the  converts  in  each,  the  land  has  produced  copious 
harvests  for  their  support,  and  these  will  be  greater  in  successive  years,  as  your 
Reverence  indicates  i,n  the  letter.  All  this  is  very  pleasing  to  me,  and  may  God  keep 
you,  etc. 

As  soon  as  it  had  been  decided  to  found  the  new  Mission,  the  two 
Missionaries  set  out  from  Monterey,  with  the  equipment  and  the  guard 
which  had  been  assigned.  On  arrival  at  San  Gabriel,  the  Father  Gregor- 
io Amurrio  remained  there  to  make  everything  ready  so  as  to  start  as 
soon  as  word  was  received,  and  Father  Fr.  Fermin  Lasuen  went  on  to 


170  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

San  Diego  in  order  to  set  out  with  the  Lieutenant  Commander  of  that 
garrison  to  make  the  exploration.  As  soon  as  they  had  chosen  the  site 
most  appropriate  for  the  Mission  they  returned  to  the  garrison  to  get 
everything  ready  for  its  founding.  When  the  above  mentioned  Father, 
with  the  lieutenant,  sergeant  and  necessary  soldiers,  had  arrived  at  the 
place,  an  arbor  was  built,  a  large  Cross  was  made,  blessed  and  set  up, 
and  on  the  altar  which  was  formed  Father  Lasuen  said  the  first  Mass. 
On  the  30th  of  October,  the  octave  of  San  Juan  Capistrano,  Patron  Saint 
of  the  new  Mission,  many  pagan  people  came  in,  manifesting  their  joy 
at  having  the  new  neighbors  among  them,  and  offering  themselves  with 
great  willingness  to  help  in  the  cutting  of  the  wood  and  bringing  it  in 
for  the  construction  of  the  chapel  and  houses. 

The  work  had  progressed  for  eight  days  and  the  logs  were  being  set 
up  for  the  house  when  the  Father  Fr.  Gregorio  Amurrio  arrived  with  all 
the  equipment,  coming  in  answer  to  the  word  sent  him  from  San  Gabriel. 
This  was  the  situation,  and  all  were  very  happy  in  the  thought  that  the 
Mission  would  soon  be  in  operation  and  with  great  promise  of  success 
owing  to  the  spirit  of  contentment  which  was  noticeable  among  the  na- 
tives of  that  region,  when  the  sad  and  dreadful  news  came  that  the  In- 
dians had  set  fire  to  the  Mission  in  San  Diego  and  had  taken  the  life  of 
one  of  the  Missionaries.  As  soon  as  the  Lieutenant  received  this  word, 
he  mounted  his  horse,  as  did  also  the  sergeant  and  a  part  of  the  soldiers 
and  started  with  all  speed  for  San  Diego.  Before  leaving  they  begged 
the  Fathers  to  follow  them  with  the  remaining  soldiers,  so  the  work  of 
building  was  suspended,  the  bells  were  buried,  and  all  the  rest  of  the 
equipment  was  loaded  on  the  pack-animals  and  carried  to  the  garrison 
at  San  Diego  where  they  heard  the  news  which  will  be  related  in  the 
following  chapter,  and  which  is  the  account  of  the  disaster  as  it  was 
written  by  the  Fathers  after  taking  the  declarations  of  both  the  con- 
verted and  unconverted  Indians  in  an  official  examination  made  by 
the  Commander  of  the  fort. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  171 


CHAPTER  XL 

The  Death  of  the  Rev.  Father  Fr.  Luis  J  ay  me,  and  Other  Events  in  the 
Mission  of  San  Diego. 

IT  was  in  the  month  of  November  of  the  year  1775  and  the  work  was 
being  carried  forward  with  great  rejoicing  of  heart  in  the  Mission  by 
the  R.  Father  Lector,  Fr.  Luis  Jayme,  Son  of  the  Holy  Province  of  Mal- 
lorca  and  the  Father  Preacher,  Fr.  Vicente  Fuster,  of  the  Province  of 
Aragon,  and  with  an  abundance  of  spiritual  fruit  in  souls  which  that 
Vineyard  of  the  Lord,  so  carefully  presented  in  intercessory  prayer  to 
God  by  the  Prelate  and  commended  to  the  Reverend  Fathers,  was  pro- 
ducing daily.  To  such  a  degree  did  the  work  prosper  that  sixty  pagans 
had  been  baptized  on  the  third  of  the  preceding  October  (on  the  eve  of 
Our  Father  St.  Francis),  and  these,  added  to  the  other  numerous  group 
of  those  who  had  been  previously  baptized,  made  quite  a  large  following 
of  the  people.  All  these  had  moved  the  preceding  year  to  the  ravine  of 
the  river  or  valley  which  empties  into  the  port,  because  the  land  there 
(about  two  leagues  distant  from  the  garrison)  offered  much  greater 
advantages  for  the  producing  of  crops  and  the  harvesting  of  com  and 
wheat  for  the  maintenance  of  the  converts,  and  all  were  very  happy  in 
the  new  prospects. 

As  the  joy  and  the  contentment  of  the  friars  and  people  continued  to 
increase,  the  greater  grew  the  fury  of  that  great  Enemy  of  souls  who  was 
ill  content  with  the  prospect  that,  in  spite  of  his  infernal  fury,  the  people 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  port  were  putting  an  end  to  their  pagan  customs 
and  surrendering  themselves  to  our  true  religion  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  the  fervent  zeal  of  those  Missionaries,  and,  noting  how  they 
were  planning  to  build  another  Mission  half  way  between  this  point 
and  San  Gabriel,  where  they  would  achieve  a  like  restilt  with  those 
gentiles  over  whom  he  had  so  long  exercised  his  dominion,  and  which 
seemed  likely  to  come  to  an  end,  he  decided  to  stop  the  damage  being 
done,  not  only  by  preventing  the  work  being  carried  further  in  the 
founding  of  the  new  Mission,  but  by  annihilating  the  Mission  of  San 
Diego,  the  first  to  be  established,  and  so  taking  vengeance  on  the 
Missionaries. 


172  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

In  order  to  carry  out  his  diabolical  intent,  he  made  use  of  two  of  the 
converted  men  who  had  been  previously  baptized,  but  who,  after  the 
feast  of  Our  Father  St.  Francis,  had  gone  out  among  the  villages  of  the 
sierra  and  there  began  to  spread  abroad  among  the  gentiles  of  all  those 
territories  the  devilish  word  that  the  Fathers  were  piirposing  to  put  an 
end  to  all  the  pagans  by  forcing  them  to  become  Christians,  stating  as 
proof  of  the  same  the  fact  that  sixty  had  been  baptized  in  one  day. 
Those  who  heard  this  were  much  disturbed,  some  of  them  believing  the 
report  and  others  doubting  it.  Some  said  that  the  Fathers  forced  no 
one,  but  that  if  so  many  had  been  baptized,  it  was  because  they  wanted 
to  be.  But  the  greater  part  of  the  people  believed  the  news  which  the 
apostates  were  propagating,  and  as  the  Enemy  of  souls  had  predisposed 
their  hearts  by  a  certain  passion  of  hatred  against  the  Fathers,  there  re- 
sulted the  desire  to  take  their  lives,  and  to  kill  the  soldiers  as  well,  and 
set  fire  to  the  Mission,  and  so  put  an  end  to  everything.  Scarce  another 
matter  was  spoken  of  in  all  that  region,  and  one  and  another  were  invited 
to  participate  in  the  act.  But  there  were  many  villages  which  refused  to 
agree  to  it,  saying  that  the  Fathers  had  done  them  no  harm  nor  had  they 
tried  to  make  them  Christians  by  force. 

Nothing  of  this  was  known  in  San  Diego,  nor  was  the  slightest  fear 
felt.  The  absence  of  the  two  apostate  neophytes  was  noticed,  as  they 
had  left  without  permission.  The  sergeant  who  went  out  to  look  for 
them  could  not  find  them,  but  heard  that  they  had  penetrated  into  the 
mountains  in  the  direction  of  the  Colorado  River,  and  in  none  of  the 
many  villages  which  they  went  through  did  they  see  the  least  indication 
of  a  disturbance  or  warlike  attitude,  but  this  only  goes  to  prove  the 
secrecy  with  which  the  whole  was  planned. 

More  than  a  thousand  Indians  were  called  together  (not  acquainted 
among  themselves  and  perhaps  had  never  seen  one  another,  but  had  been 
invited  by  others)  and  it  was  agreed  that  they  divide  themselves  into 
two  bands,  the  one  to  fall  on  the  Mission  and  the  other  on  the  garrison, 
it  being  agreed  that  as  soon  as  these  latter  saw  the  smoke  of  the  burning 
Mission,  that  they  were  to  set  fire  to  the  fort  and  to  kill  all  the  people  in 
it,  while  those  who  attacked  the  Mission  were  to  do  the  same.  This 
being  the  agreement,  and  all  being  well  armed  with  arrows  and  war- 
clubs,  they  descended  upon  the  places  to  carry  out  their  nefarious  de- 
signs. 

They  reached  the  valley  of  the  San  Diego  River  on  the  night  of  the 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  173 

4th  of  November  and  there  they  divided  into  two  bands,  the  half  of  them 
going  on  to  the  garrison.  They  arrived  at  the  Mission  without  being 
seen,  coming  first  to  the  houses  of  the  native  Christians.  Here  a  num- 
ber of  the  pagans  stationed  themselves  in  the  doorway  of  each  house, 
ordering  the  dwellers  therein  to  remain  inside  and  to  keep  silence,  on 
pain  of  death.  The  greater  part  of  the  band  then  attacked  the  Mission 
and  the  vestry,  stealing  the  clothing,  the  ornaments  and  ever5^hing  else 
they  wanted.  Others  with  firebrands  which  they  found  in  the  soldiers' 
quarters  (where  there  were  only  three  men  and  a  corporal,  who,  it  seems, 
were  fast  asleep)  began  to  set  fire  to  the  barracks  and  to  all  the  other 
houses.  All  this  was  accompanied  with  the  most  dreadful  yells  on  the 
part  of  the  pagans,  which  of  course  awakened  everyone. 

The  soldiers  began  to  arm  themselves  after  the  arrows  began  to  fly. 
The  Fathers  were  sleeping  in  other  rooms.  The  Reverend  Father  Fr. 
Vicente  came  out,  and  when  he  saw  the  fire,  he  ran  to  where  the  soldiers 
were,  as  did  also  two  little  boys,  the  son  and  the  nephew  of  the  Lieu- 
tenant Commander  of  the  garrison.  In  another  room  the  carpenter  and 
the  blacksmith  of  the  Mission  were  living  and  the  blacksmith  of  the 
garrison  who  had  come  to  the  Mission  on  account  of  sickness.  His 
name  was  Urselino  and  his  name  is  worthy  of  being  preserved  on  account 
of  his  heroic  acts  as  a  true  Catholic,  as  we  shall  see. 

The  Rev.  Father  Luis,  who  slept  in  another  room,  on  hearing  the 
alarm  and  the  fire,  came  out,  and  noting  the  great  crowd  of  Indians,  drew 
near  to  them,  saluting  them  with  the  accustomed  salutation:  ''Love 
God,  my  children."  As  soon  as  they  recognized  him  they  fell  upon 
him  like  a  wolf  on  a  lamb,  and  he  bore  himself  as  such  in  that  he  opened 
not  his  mouth.  They  carried  him  to  the  thickets  in  the  gully,  where  they 
stripped  him  of  his  habit.  Then  they  began  to  hack  his  naked  body 
with  their  wooden  sabres  and  to  shoot  at  him  innumerable  arrows,  their 
fury  not  being  satisfied  with  dimply  taking  his  life  with  such  great  cruelty 
but  after  he  was  dead  they  bruised  his  head,  his  face  and  the  rest  of  his 
body  to  such  a  degree  that  from  his  feet  to  his  head  there  was  not  a  single 
part  untouched  except  his  consecrated  hands,  and  it  was  in  this  condi- 
tion that  he  was  found. 

God  willed  it  that  his  hands  should  be  preserved  in  order  to  show  to 
all  that  he  had  not  done  evil,  that  his  life  should  be  taken  away  in  such 
cruel  fashion,  but  that  he  had  labored  in  all  purity  to  direct  them  to  God 
and  to  save  their  souls.    And  we  do  not  doubt  —  those  of  us  who  knew 


174  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

him  and  dealt  with  him  in  life  —  that  he  very  gladly  and  joyfully  gave 
up  his  life  and  shed  his  innocent  blood  that  he  might  water  with  it  that 
mystic  Vineyard  which,  with  so  great  pains,  he  had  cultivated,  and  where 
he  had  increased  the  number  of  the  Saved  by  those  he  had  baptized, 
trusting  that  by  the  means  of  that  watering  more  abundance  of  ripened 
fruit  might  be  gathered,  as  indeed  it  came  to  pass,  in  that  multitudes 
afterwards  came  to  ask  for  baptism.  Even  whole  villages  with  their 
large  population  and  at  a  great  distance  from  the  Mission  gathered 
there  asking  to  be  baptized,  so  greatly  increasing  the  number  of  the 
native  Christians. 

At  the  same  time  that  the  Indians  were  carrying  away  Father  Luis 
with  great  outcry,  to  the  place  of  his  Martyrdom,  others  were  on  their 
way  to  the  room  occupied  by  the  carpenters  and  blacksmith,  who  had 
been  awakened  by  the  noise.  The  blacksmith  was  on  the  point  of  com- 
ing out  with  a  sword  in  his  hand  when  an  arrow  struck  him,  which  left 
him  dead.  When  the  carpenter  saw  this,  he  took  up  a  loaded  gun  and 
shot  it  off,  knocking  down  one  of  the  Indians  who  was  near  the  door. 
As  the  rest  drew  away  frightened  and  astonished,  he  was  able  to  make 
his  way  to  where  the  soldiers  were.  The  other  carpenter,  who  was  sick, 
was  filled  with  arrows  where  he  lay  in  his  bed.  When  he  felt  he  was 
wounded  unto  death  he  said:  '^Oh,  Indian,  you  have  killed  me.  May 
God  forgive  you.'* 

The  greater  part  of  the  band  was  engaged  in  the  attack  on  the 
soldiers,  who  were  gathered  in  a  little  house  which  had  served  them  as  a 
barracks,  and  in  which  the  Father  Fr.  Vicente  Fuster  had  taken  refuge 
with  the  two  boys  just  mentioned.  Here  came  also  the  carpenter  and 
there  were  there  also  the  three  soldiers  with  the  corporal.  To  the  pagan 
band  gathered  about  was  added  the  great  mass  of  the  other  band  which 
had  started  for  the  garrison,  but  which  they  had  not  dared  attack,  as, 
long  before  they  arrived,  they  had  seen  the  smoke  and  fire  of  the  Mission, 
and  supposing  that  it  had  been  seen  by  those  of  the  garrison  and  that 
they  would  be  on  the  defensive  and  that  they  would  send  help  to  the 
Mission,  they  returned  and  joined  those  taking  part  in  the  attack.  In 
this  way  the  garrison  was  delivered,  as  all  the  people  there  were  also 
asleep,  for  they  did  not  see  the  fire  which  lighted  up  the  sky  nor  did  they 
hear  the  noise  of  the  many  shots  which  were  fired,  though  it  is  easy  to 
hear  the  morning  salute  of  the  garrison  from  the  Mission. 

As  soon  as  those  pagans  who  had  gone  to  the  attack  of  the  garrison 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  175 

came  up  to  the  Mission  and  heard  that  one  of  the  Fathers  had  been 
killed,  they  asked  which  one  it  was.  As  soon  as  they  heard  that  it  was 
the  one  who  said  the  prayers  (for  so  they  designated  Fr.  Luis)  they  were 
greatly  pleased  with  the  news  and  celebrated  on  the  spot  one  of  their 
war-dances,  as  is  their  barbarous  custom.  Then  they  joined  the  rest  in 
the  attempt  to  have  done  with  the  other  Father  and  with  the  whole 
Mission.  The  little  group  of  soldiers  did  their  best  to  defend  themselves 
against  the  tremendous  number  of  the  pagan  horde,  being  animated  by 
the  great  valor  of  the  corporal,  who  did  not  cease  to  shout  aloud,  which 
added  to  the  terror  of  the  Indians,  and  to  shoot  off  his  weapon,  killing 
some  and  wounding  others.  When  the  enemy  saw  how  great  was  the 
resistance  encountered,  they  had  recourse  to  fire,  setting  fire  to  the 
barracks,  which  were  of  poles.  In  order  not  to  die  roasted  in  the,  fire, 
the  soldiers  left  the  building,  with  great  valor  moving  into  a  little  hut 
of  adobes  which  had  served  as  a  kitchen.  The  whole  little  hut,  however, 
was  not  more  than  three  walls  of  adobe,  scarce  a  yard  high,  with  no  roof 
but  a  few  branches  which  the  cook  had  put  there  to  keep  off  the  sun. 
Our  people,  sheltered  in  this  little  kitchen,  continued  to  fire  on  the 
enemy,  defending  themselves  against  the  multitude  who  naturally  made 
the  attack  on  the  side  where  those  inside  were  exposed  for  the  lack  of  a 
wall.     There  they  sent  in  their  arrows  and  spears. 

Seeing  the  danger  which  this  opening  was  causing  them,  they  were 
bold  enough  to  go  back  into  the  burning  house  and  bring  out  some  boxes 
and  bundles  in  order  to  make  a  sort  of  parapet.  In  this  task  two  of  the 
soldiers  were  wounded  and  put  out  of  action,  and  there  remained  for  the 
defense  only  the  corporal  with  one  soldier  and  the  carpenter.  The 
corporal,  who  was  of  great  valor  and  a  good  shot,  told  the  soldier  and 
the  carpenter  to  do  nothing  else  but  to  load  and  prime  the  guns  while  he 
did  all  the  shooting.  In  this  way  he  succeeded  in  killing  as  many  as  came 
near. 

When  the  pagans  saw  that  their  arrows  were  of  no  avail  on  accotmt 
of  the  defense  of  the  adobes  which  our  men  had,  they  set  fire  to  the 
branches  which  served  as  a  roof,  but  as  these  were  but  a  few  their  biun- 
ing  did  not  oblige  the  men  to  retire  from  the  place,  but  they  were  in 
great  danger  of  their  powder  being  set  on  fire.  This  surely  would  have 
happened  if  the  Reverend  Father  Vicente  had  not  seen  it  in  time,  and 
covered  up  the  bag  with  the  skirt  of  his  habit,  without  paying  any 
attention  to  the  danger  therein  involved.    When  they  saw  that  firing 


176  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

the  roof  was  not  going  to  drive  them  out,  the  Indians  tried  to  throw  in 
burning  brands  and  also  pieces  of  adobe,  one  of  which  wounded  the 
Father,  but  for  the  time  he  was  not  aware  of  it.  He  afterwards  fully 
recovered.  So  the  fighting  continued  until  daybreak,  when  the  beauti- 
ful light  of  day  put  to  flight  the  pagan  horde,  as  they  feared  the  people 
from  the  fort  would  come.  So  they  made  off,  carrying  their  dead  and 
wounded,  in  order  that  it  might  not  be  known  how  many  they  were. 
But  it  was  afterwards  learned  that  the  number  was  considerable. 

As  soon  as  the  day  broke  on  the  5th  of  November,  when  the  multi- 
tude of  the  Indians  had  disappeared,  the  native  Christians  came  out  of 
their  houses  and  went  at  once  to  look  for  the  Father,  whom  they  found 
in  the  kitchen  fort  with  the  corporal  and  the  three  soldiers,  all  of  the 
latter  wounded,  and  the  corporal  as  well,  although  he  did  not  want  to 
admit  it  for  fear  the  others  would  have  lost  heart.  The  native  Christians 
with  tears  told  the  Father  how  the  pagans  had  held  them  prisoners  in 
their  houses,  nor  would  they  even  let  them  raise  a  cry,  threatening  them 
with  death  if  they  moved.  He  asked  them  about  Father  Luis,  concern- 
ing whom  he  had  been  deeply  alarmed  all  night  long  as  he  knew  nothing 
of  him,  though  the  soldiers  had  comforted  him  by  saying  that  he  prob- 
ably had  hidden  among  the  willows.  He  therefore  sent  the  Indians  to 
look  for  him  and  he  also  sent  Lomer,  a  Calif omian  Indian,  to  the  garrison 
to  carry  the  news.  The  rest  he  set  to  work  putting  out  the  fire  in  the 
granary  so  as  to  save  the  provisions. 

The  Indians  found  their  revered  Father,  Fr.  Luis,  in  the  gully,  dead 
and  so  disfigured  that  they  could  scarcely  recognize  him.  They  lifted 
him  up  and  brought  the  body  in,  with  great  lamentation,  to  where 
Father  Vicente  was,  who  as  soon  as  he  heard  the  crying  of  the  Indians 
felt  in  his  heart  what  must  have  happened  to  his  companion.  The 
Father  immediately  started  to  meet  them  and  they  laid  down  their 
burden  at  his  feet.  It  was  indeed  as  he  feared.  His  companion  was 
dead  and  so  disfigured  that,  as  he  wrote  to  the  Father  President,  his 
body  was  so  full  of  wounds  that  there  was  no  part  whole  except  his 
consecrated  hands.  All  the  rest  was  bruised  and  filled  with  arrows  and 
the  head  crushed  in  with  the  blows  of  the  macanas,  or  war  sabres  of  wood, 
or  possibly  with  stones,  and,  of  course,  all  bloody  from  head  to  foot. 
They  recognized  it  as  his  body  only  by  the  whiteness  of  the  skin  which 
was  only  in  a  few  places  free  from  blood-stains,  and  these  were  the  only 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  177 

garments  which  covered  his  body.  On  sight  of  this  spectacle,  Father 
Vicente  was  almost  beside  himself  with  grief,  till  the  weeping  of  the 
native  converts,  who  greatly  loved  the  dead  Father,  caused  him  too  to 
burst  into  weeping. 

As  soon  as  his  grief  permitted  the  Father  to  deliberate  a  little  he 
ordered  them  to  make  a  litter  in  order  to  carry  the  dead  body  of  Father 
Luis  as  well  as  that  of  the  blacksmith,  Joseph  Romero.  Litters  were 
also  made  to  carry  the  wounded  men,  who  were  the  corporal  and  the 
three  soldiers  and  the  carpenter,  Urselino.  As  soon  as  word  was  re- 
ceived at  the  garrison,  the  soldiers  started  for  the  Mission,  and  with 
their  help  all  were  transferred,  the  dead  being  carried  in  procession  to 
the  fort,  leaving  in  the  Mission  some  of  the  native  Christians,  who  were 
putting  out  the  fire  in  the  granary.  On  arrival  at  the  garrison  the  dead 
were  buried  in  the  Chapel  and  the  wounded  were  cared  for.  All  re- 
covered, except  the  carpenter  Urselino,  who  died  on  the  fifth  day.  He 
was  thereby  given  time  to  prepare  himself  for  death  and  to  dispose  of  his 
affairs.  He  had  saved  up  his  salary  which  he  had  received  for  some 
years  from  the  royal  treasury,  and  as  he  had  no  legitimate  heir,  he  made 
a  will  and  named  as  his  heirs  the  very  same  Indians  who  had  taken  his 
life,  an  action  which  was  heroic  and  also  worthy  of  a  true  disciple  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Having  received  all  the  Holy  Sacraments  he  gave  up 
his  soul  to  his  Creator. 

The  corporal  who  was  in  command  of  the  garrison  sent  word  to  the 
Lieutenant,  who  was  at  the  time  at  the  founding  of  the  Mission  of  San 
Juan  Capistrano,  and  the  latter,  as  soon  as  he  had  the  word,  started 
for  San  Diego.  After  him  shortly  came  the  Fathers.  As  soon  as  these 
latter  arrived  at  the  fort,  they  performed  the  funeral  honors  for  the  dead 
Father,  and  decided  to  remain  at  the  fort  until  they  could  have  further 
orders  from  the  Father  President,  to  whom  they  immediately  wrote 
telling  all  the  story  as  here  narrated  and  which  I  have  taken  from  these 
very  letters.  At  the  same  time,  under  the  suggestion  of  the  Commander 
of  the  garrison,  the  native  Christians  moved  back  into  the  vicinity  of  the 
garrison  so  as  to  avoid  any  further  outbreak  which  might  occur  on  the 
part  of  the  pagan  Indians.  They  also  transferred  the  rest  of  the  com 
and  wheat  which  they  managed  to  save  from  the  fire.  All  the  rest  of  the 
things  of  the  Mission  were  either  destroyed  or  carried  off  by  the  Indians. 

The  Commander  of  the  garrison,  by  sending  out  parties  of  soldiers 


178 


FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


4 


to  the  villages,  took  the  necessary  steps  to  discover  if  there  were  any 
signs  of  another  uprising,  as  well  as  to  find  out  who  they  were  who  had 
had  a  part  in  this  one.  Quite  a  number  were  brought  in  as  prisoners 
in  order  to  make  investigations,  and  when  it  was  found  that  there 
was  no  likelihood  of  an  attack  on  the  garrison,  he  sent  a  coiirier  to 
Monterey. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  179 


CHAPTER  XLI 

The  Arrival  of  the  Sad  News  from  San  Diego  and  the  Steps  Taken  by  Those 
in  Command  at  Monterey. 

THE  courier  from  San  Diego  duly  arrived  at  Monterey  with  the  news 
of  the  martyrdom  of  the  Venerable  Father  Fr.  Luis  Jayme  and  of 
the  burning  of  the  Mission.  Immediately  on  receipt  of  the  letters, 
Commander  Rivera,  as  soon  as  he  had  informed  himself  as  to  what  had 
happened,  started  out  that  same  night,  the  13th  of  December,  for  the 
Mission  of  San  Carlos  (where  I  was  at  the  time)  to  give  the  news  and 
the  letters  from  the  Fathers  in  San  Diego  to  the  Rev.  Father  President, 
who,  as  soon  as  he  heard  it,  burst  forth  with  these  words :  Thanks  be  to 
God  that  that  soil  has  now  been  watered  with  blood.  We  shall  now  soon  see 
the  complete  subjugation  of  the  Indians  of  San  Diego.  To-morrow  (his 
Reverence  went  on  to  say)  we  shall  honor  the  dead  Father.  To  this  I 
invite  you  and  the  people  of  the  garrison.  To  this  the  Commander  re- 
plied that  he  could  not  be  present  because  he  must  get  ready  to  leave 
for  San  Diego.  When  the  Father  said  that  he  also  intended  to  go  down 
to  San  Diego,  the  Commander  replied  that  it  was  not  possible  that  they 
should  go  together  on  account  of  the  great  need  of  haste  in  view  of  the 
importance  of  his  arrival  in  San  Diego  at  the  earliest  possible  moment 
in  order  to  make  sure  the  defence  of  the  garrison,  to  investigate  into  the 
attack,  and  to  give  an  account  of  everything  to  His  Excellency.  He  also 
said  that  another  company  of  soldiers  would  be  leaving  shortly  for  San 
Diego  and  that  His  Reverence  could  go  down  with  them  more  slowly  and 
easily.    With  this  he  bade  us  good  by  and  returned  to  the  garrison. 

The  following  day  the  Venerable  Father  President  made  the  ar- 
rangements for  the  services  in  honor  of  the  dead  Father,  which  consisted 
of  vigils  and  Requiem  High  Mass  sung  with  the  assistance  of  six  Friars,  viz . , 
the  Venerable  Father  President,  with  his  companion  and  the  four  of  us 
who  were  there  waiting  to  go  to  the  founding  of  this  port  of  Our  Father, 
St.  Francis.  Besides,  all  the  native  Christians  of  the  Mission  and  the 
troop  of  the  guard  were  present.  It  was  the  judgment  of  all  of  us  who 
knew  the  Venerable  Father  Luis,  who  had  dealt  with  him  and  had  had 


i8o  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

experience  of  his  religious  conduct  and  his  fervent  zeal  for  the  salvation 
of  souls,  that  it  was  not  necessary  that  we  should  pray  God  for  him,  but 
rather  that  we  should  ask  him  to  intercede  with  God  for  us,  as  we  all 
piously  believed  that  his  soul  had  gone  straight  to  heaven  to  receive 
there  the  crown  of  glory  which  he  had  earned  by  his  virtues,  by  his 
laborious  life,  and  by  his  intense  desire  for  the  conversion  of  all  that 
pagan  people.  However,  because  the  judgments  of  God  are  inscru- 
table, the  Venerable  Father  President  instructed  us  that  each  one  of  the 
Missionaries  should  apply  the  twenty  Masses  which  the  Concordat  re- 
quires for  the  Missionaries  of  this  Spiritual  Conquest. 

When  the  Venerable  Prelate  saw  that  he  could  not  go  down  at  once  to 
San  Diego  he  wrote  to  the  Fathers  telling  them  what  they  ought  to  do 
in  the  meantime.  He  also  wrote  to  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian  telling 
him  the  story  of  what  had  happened,  sending  along  the  same  letters 
which  he  had  received  from  the  Fathers  of  San  Juan  Capistrano  and 
from  the  remaining  Father  of  San  Diego.  He  also  wrote  to  His  Ex- 
cellency, the  Viceroy,  telling  him  the  news  and  adding  that  the  Mission- 
aries had  not  lost  heart  from  what  had  happened  but  rather  they  were 
the  more  encouraged,  even  coveting  the  glorious  death  which  had  over- 
taken their  blessed  Venerable  Brother  and  Companion,  Father  Fr. 
Luis  Jayme. 

He  also  said  that  what  he  most  regretted  were  the  results  of  the 
disaster  both  in  the  punishment  which  perhaps  might  be  inflicted  upon 
the  poor  ignorant  Indians  who  had  taken  part  in  the  deed,  and  in  the 
possible  delay  which  might  follow  before  the  Mission  of  San  Diego  could 
be  reopened  upon  the  same  site.  It  was  also  equally  to  be  regretted 
that  the  founding  of  the  Mission  of  San  Juan  Capistrano  should  have  to 
be  postponed;  but  that  he  hoped  from  his  well  known  clemency  that 
His  Excellency  would  show  mercy  to  the  San  Diego  Indians  who  had 
had  a  part  in  the  death  of  the  late  Father,  that  no  doubt  they  had  been 
influenced  by  the  infernal  Enemy  and  through  lack  of  knowledge;  and 
that  he  judged  it  would  be  more  conducive  to  good  results  to  show  com- 
passion upon  these  men,  as  they  would  thus  be  attracted  to  our  Catholic 
religion  so  pious  and  benign.  He  said  that  he  also  trusted  in  the  fervent 
and  Catholic  zeal  of  His  Excellency  that  he  would  have  a  part  with  even 
greater  fervor  in  the  rebuilding  of  the  burned  Mission  and  of  the  found- 
ing of  the  other  Mission  of  San  Juan  Capistrano  in  order  that  the  in- 
fernal designs  of  the  Enemy  might  be  frustrated.    This  could  be  well 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  i8i 

accomplished  and  future  disasters  of  the  same  sort  avoided  by  simply 
increasing  the  guards  of  the  Mission;  for  when  the  Indians  saw  a  larger 
force  ready  for  defence,  they  would  restrain  themselves,  and  the  main 
object  of  their  subjugation  and  the  salvation  of  their  souls  could  be 
accomplished  in  quietness.  These  letters  his  Reverence  sent  to  the 
garrison,  begging  the  Commander  that  he  would  forward  them  from  San 
Diego,  together  with  his  own  document,  as  he  might  be  detained  in 
going  down  to  San  Diego  however  much  he  desired  to  come. 

Commander  Rivera  set  out  from  Monterey  with  his  troop  on  the 
1 6th  of  December,  visiting  on  the  way  the  two  Missions  of  San  Antonio 
and  San  Luis  [Obispo] ;  and  although  in  them  there  was  no  disturbance 
among  the  Indians  he  added  one  more  soldier  to  the  garrison  of  each  in 
view  of  what  might  happen,  and  continued  his  journey,  reaching  San 
Gabriel  on  the  3rd  of  January,  1776. 

It  was  the  will  of  God,  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  that  on  the  very  next  day 
there  should  arrive  at  that  Mission  the  Lieut.  Colonel  Don  Juan  Bau- 
tista  de  Anza,  who  had  come  from  Sonora  under  the  orders  of  His 
Excellency  crossing  the  Colorado  River  and  bringing  out  soldiers  and  I 
famiHes  for  the  colonizing  of  the  port  of  Our  Father  St.  Francis  [San 
Francisco]  (of  which  I  shall  speak  later).  With  this  arrival.  Com- 
mander Rivera  found  himself  supplied  with  an  additional  force  of  forty 
soldiers  and  with  an  official  Lieutenant,  besides  the  Commander  of  the 
expedition,  Don  Anza.  The  two  Commanders  discussed  the  situation 
in  San  Diego  and  decided  that  both  of  them  (leaving  in  San  Gabriel  the 
Lieutenant  with  some  of  the  soldiers  and  all  the  people  of  the  colony, 
together  with  the  muleteers  and  the  pack-animals)  should  go  on  to  San 
Diego  to  pacify  the  people  and  to  capture  the  hostile  chiefs.  This  they 
did  and  from  that  place  forwarded  to  His  Excellency  their  account  of 
the  affair,  together  with  the  letters  of  the  Venerable  Father  President. 
Seeing  that  there  was  no  further  need  of  the  troops  the  Commanders 
decided  that  the  expedition  should  go  on  to  Monterey  and  that,  of  the 
soldiers  which  had  come  from  Sonora,  only  twelve  should  remain,  to 
accompany  Commander  Rivera  later,  and  that  all  the  rest  should  return 
with  Commander  Anza  to  San  Gabriel  and  from  there  go  on  to  Mon- 
terey, as  I  shall  describe  in  the  proper  place.  In  the  meantime  I  go  on 
to  relate  (going  a  little  ahead  of  my  narrative)  the  various  efficient  steps 
which  His^ Excellency  the  Viceroy  took  when  he  received  the  news  of 
what  had  happened. 


i82  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

As  soon  as  His  Excellency  received  the  letters  from  the  two  Com- 
manders which  they  wrote  him  from  San  Diego,  telling  what  had  hap- 
pened in  the  Mission,  and  when  he  had  fully  informed  himself  from  them 
as  to  their  content,  he  missed  the  letter  from  the  Rev.  Father  President, 
but  attributed  its  absence  to  the  distance  of  one  hundred  and  seventy 
leagues  which  lie  between  San  Carlos  and  San  Diego,  noticing  that  the 
courier  had  left  from  the  latter  place.  He  afterwards  found  out  that 
this  was  not  the  cause  but  that  the  letters  he  had  received  had  been  sent 
on  a  few  days  in  advance  of  the  letter  of  the  Venerable  Father  President, 
the  latter  having  been  dated  two  months  before  those  of  the  Comman- 
ders. Notwithstanding,  in  spite  of  the  absence  of  any  word,  His  Ex- 
cellency wrote  a  conciliatory  letter  with  a  note  stating  what  steps  he  had 
ordered  to  be  taken.     The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  same : 

I  cannot  properly  express  to  your  Reverence  the  great  regret  and  sorrow  which 
I  feel  on  receiving  the  news  of  the  sad  events  in  the  Mission  of  San  Diego  and  the 
tragic  death  of  the  Father  Martyr  Fr.  Luis  Jayme,  concerning  which  the  Commander 
of  that  garrison,  Don  Fernando  Rivera  y  Moncada  and  the  Lieutenant-Colonel  Juan 
Bautista  de  Anza  have  written  me.  These  disasters  might  have  been  greater  but  for 
the  opportune  arrival  in  San  Gabriel  of  this  latter  officer  with  the  families  destined 
for  Monterey. 

The  steps  which  those  officers  took  at  the  time  to  assure  the  proper  defence  of 
San  Diego,  as  well  as  for  that  of  San  Gabriel,  and  San  Luis  [Obispo],  I  consider 
prudent  and  in  accord  with  what  should  be  done  in  view  of  possible  future  outbreak, 
and  so  I  have  indicated  to  the  Commander  Moncada.  The  latter  informs  me  of  the 
apprehension  of  some  of  the  perpetrators  of  the  evil  deed  and  he  assures  me  that  he 
will  leave  everything  pacified  by  inflicting  the  proper  punishment  upon  those  who 
have  been  most  aggressive  in  the  outbreak,  of  whom  he  has  taken  one  prisoner.  I 
hope  this  will  be  done;  but  as  this  attempt  leads  me  to  recognize  how  very  little 
confidence  can  be  put  upon  the  Indians  who  have  been  confirmed,  and  how  very 
much  less  upon  those  who  are  still  pagan,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  both  the  former  and 
the  latter  took  part  in  this  outbreak,  I  have  given  orders  to  Don  Felipe  Neve,  gover- 
nor of  the  Peninsula,  that  he  recruit  there,  if  possible,  the  twenty-five  men  which 
Don  Fernando  de  Rivera  asks  for,  in  order  to  reinforce  the  troop  under  his  charge, 
and  that  they  be  sent  forward  under  arms. 

The  arrival  of  the  packet-boats,  "El  Principe"  and  "San  Carlos,"  which  are 
under  sail  for  that  port  since  the  loth  of  the  present  month,  will  materially  contribute 
to  the  quieting  of  the  natives  and  will  also  help  in  the  occupation  of  the  port  of  San 
Francisco,  and  as  from  those  boats  perhaps  some  of  the  individuals  may  wish  to 
remain  as  soldiers,  I  have  ordered  that  they  be  put  ashore  to  reinforce  the  garrison 
of  San  Diego.  In  order  that  this  may  not  be  prevented  by  the  other  Commanders  I 
am  sending  a  special  credential  to  Don  Fernando  Rivera  in  view  of  which  I  am  sure 
both  officers  will  gladly  acquiesce  in  this  service. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  183 

Besides  what  I  have  said,  the  Commissioner  of  San  Bias,  Don  Francisco  Hijosa, 
has  orders  to  gather  other  recruits  in  that  immediate  vicinity,  and  if  he  finds  them  he 
is  to  supply  them  with  arms  and  other  things  necessary  and  forward  them  to  the 
above  mentioned  Governor  Neve  in  the  same  launch  in  which  these  documents  are 
being  sent,  in  order  that  he  may  on  his  part  provide  the  help  which  I  have  advised 
him  about. 

I  have  not  forgotten  the  necessity  of  other  opportune  measures,  and  I  am  ready 
to  put  into  effect  whatever  dispositions  may  seem  wise.  In  view  of  this  I  hope  that 
your  Reverence  after  commending  this  whole  sad  matter  to  God  may  not  diminish 
your  Apostolic  zeal  but  rather  will  be  assured  that  you  will  find  the  establishment  of 
Missions  to  have  really  been  forwarded  by  what  has  happened.  To  this  end  I  do  not 
doubt  that  your  Reverence  will  contribute  much  by  animating  the  other  Fathers  so 
that  they  will  not  fear  the  risks  they  take  on  account  of  the  increased  number  of  the 
troops  which  will  accompany  them. —  May  God  keep  your  Revterence  many  years. — 
Mexico,  26th  of  March  of  the  year  1776.  Kjiight  Commander  Don  Antonio  Bucareli 
y  Ursua. —  To  the  Rev.  Father  Fr.  Junipero  Serra. 

Eight  days  after  having  written  the  above  letter  His  Excellency  re- 
ceived the  letter  from  the  Reverend  Father  President  which,  as  I  said 
before,  proved  a  great  comfort  to  him  and  to  which  he  immediately  re- 
plied granting  him  all  that  he  asked,  as  we  shall  see  in  what  follows: 

On  the  26th  of  last  March  I  wrote  to  your  Reverence  (before  having  received  your 
letter  of  the  15th  of  December  last  and  which  was  afterward  delivered  to  me  by  the 
Reverend  Father  Custodian  of  this  Apostolic  College)  expressing  my  great  sorrow  at 
the  terrible  disaster  which  had  come  upon  the  Mission  of  San  Diego  and  telling  you 
of  the  instructions  which  I  immediately  gave  out  in  order  to  remedy  as  far  as  possible 
the  damages  which  n^ght  result  from  not  having  reinforcements  at  hand  for  that 
garrison  and  Mission.  But  now,  in  view  of  your  letter  and  the  most  prudent  Chris- 
tian observations  which  your  Reverence  expresses,  you  being  inclined  to  think  that 
it  will  give  better  results  to  try  to  attract  the  rebellious  neophytes  rather  than  punish 
them,  I  answer  your  Reverence  that  I  agree  with  you  and  have  so  ordered,  sending 
word  on  this  same  date  to  Commander  Don  Fernando  Rivera  y  Moncada,  telling  him 
to  set  the  men  at  liberty,  believing  this  to  be  the  best  means  of  pacifying  and  tran- 
quilizing  the  minds  of  all  and  perhaps  thereby  securing  the  subjugation  of  the  neigh- 
boring gentiles  when  they  see  that  we  are  inclined  to  show  them  courtesy  and  kind- 
ness, and  when,  because  of  their  outrage,  they  undoubtedly  expected  the  severest 
punishment  and  the  devastation  of  their  villages. 

I  also  advise  that  Commander  that  the  principal  work  of  the  hour  is  to  be  the 
re-establishment  of  the  Mission  of  San  Diego  and  the  new  foundation  of  San  Juan 
Capistrano,  the  former  in  the  same  place  as  before,  and  the  latter  in  the  place  which 
had  been  selected  just  before  the  attack  occurred,  this  to  be  done  on  the  arrival  of  the 
twenty-five  men  who  have  been  ordered  recruited  from  Old  California  for  the  purpose 
of  acting  as  a  guard  for  those  Missions  and  which  will  serve  as  a  reinforcement  for 
the  garrison.  In  this  way  a  competent  guard  will  be  provided  for  the  two  above 
mentioned  Missions  of  San  Diego  and  San  Juan  Capistrano,  during  the  absence  of 


i84  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Lieut. -Col.  Don  Juan  Bautista  Anza  and  until  further  advice  can  reach  me,  when 
other  proper  instructions  can  be  given. 

I  communicate  all  the  above  to  your  Reverence  for  your  comfort  and  satis- 
faction, hoping  that  under  the  impulse  of  the  Apostolic  zeal  with  which  you  are 
ever  animated  in  the  work  of  these  Spiritual  Subjugations  you  will  do  your  part 
toward  carrying  out  my  instructions,  assured  that  I  am  disposed  to  provide  all  the 
help  possible,  as  I  have  done  until  now,  in  spite  of  the  great  distances,  for  the  gather- 
ing of  those  harvests  with  their  accompanying  advantages.  May  God  keep  your 
Reverence  many  years.  Mexico,  3rd  of  April,  1776,  Knight  Commander  Antonio 
Bucareli  y  Ursua.     To  the  Father  Fr.  Junipero  Serra. 

If  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  could  have  received  these  two  let- 
ters as  soon  as  they  had  been  written  he  would  not  have  had  to  suffer 
so  much,  as  we  shall  see  he  did  in  the  next  chapter,  for  the  long  distances 
and  the  unavoidable  delays  served  to  keep  him  in  a  prolonged  and 
bloodless  martyrdom. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  185 


CHAPTER  XLII 

The  Venerable  Father  Junlpero  Goes  Down  to  San  Diego.     He  Tries  to 

Re-establish  the  Mission.     All  His  Desires  and  Efforts 

are  Frustrated. 

FROM  the  first  moment  in  which  the  news  of  the  happenings  in  the 
Mission  of  San  Diego  had  reached  him,  the  Venerable  Father 
President  was  filled  with  the  most  consuming  anxiety  and  desire  to  go 
down  to  that  port.  But  his  wishes  were  frustrated,  as  we  have  seen  in 
the  former  chapter,  first,  because  of  the  haste  of  Commander  Rivera, 
and  afterwards  by  the  arrival  of  the  expedition  from  Sonora,  it  being  the 
continued  object  of  all  his  desires  that  that  Mission  which  had  been 
burned  might  be  rebuilt.  For  a  whole  half  year  he  saw  himself  no 
nearer  the  accompHshment  of  his  desires,  until  God  willed  it  that  the 
packet-boats  should  arrive  at  Monterey,  and  that  *'E1  Principe,"  after 
leaving  part  of  its  cargo,  should  go  back  down  the  coast  to  San  Diego 
with  the  rest.  So  he  embarked  in  it  on  the  30th  of  June  and  after 
twelve  days  of  voyage  arrived  at  San  Diego  and  went  ashore,  being 
accompanied  by  another  Missionary,  Father  Fr.  Vicente  Santa  Maria, 
who  had  come  out  with  the  vessels,  and  whom  the  Prelate  assigned  to 
one  of  those  Missions. 

The  Venerable  Prelate  found  that  the  three  Fathers  were  living  in 
the  garrison,  the  two  from  San  Juan  Capistrano  and  the  one  who  had 
remained  alive  after  the  attack  on  San  Diego.  After  having  consoled 
and  encouraged  them,  they  told  him  that  their  heaviest  burden  was  the 
fact  that  there  was  nothing  for  them  to  do  and  that  they  were  there  idle. 
He  asked  them  how  the  Indians  were,  if  there  was  any  excitement  among 
them,  and  they  replied  that  there  was  not,  that,  just  as  the  Commander 
had  already  written  to  His  Excellency,  everything  had  been  pacified, 
that  the  chiefs  had  been  taken  prisoners  and  that  they  intended  to  send 
them  by  ship  to  San  Bias,  where  they  would  be  punished  as  they  de- 
served. 

When  his  Reverence  had  learned  these  facts  he  tried  to  comfort  the 
Fathers,  and  with  great  patience  and  prudence  waited  until  the  un- 


^ 


i86  FRANCISCO  PALOWS  LIFE  OF 

loading  of  the  vessel  had  been  accomplished.  Then,  when  he  saw  that 
the  task  was  about  concluded,  he  spoke  to  the  Commander  of  the  vessel, 
,  Don  Diego  Choquet,  asking  him  if  the  sailors  might  not  go  and  help  in 
■^  the  work  of  the  Mission  of  the  Patron  Saint  whose  name  he  bore  (San 
Diego),  saying  that  both  he  and  the  sailors  would  receive  their  reward 
from  God  and  that  His  Excellency  would  rightly  interpret  such  action. 
To  this  the  Captain  repHed  like  a  gentleman,  saying  that  not  only  the 
sailors  but  he  himself  was  ready  to  go  and  work  as  a  common  laborer. 
After  receiving  so  Christlike  a  reply  he  sent  a  written  request  to  the 
land  Commander  saying  that,  in  view  of  the  necessary  detention  of  the 
vessel  until  the  middle  of  October  and  also  in  view  of  the  kind  offer  of 
the  captain  to  allow  his  crew  to  help  in  the  rebuilding  of  the  Mission,  he 
begged  for  the  Mission  guard  to  be  sent  in  order  that  the  work  might  be 
begun.  In  answer  to  the  request  a  corporal  and  five  soldiers  were  de- 
tailed for  the  work  and  sent  on  the  2 2d  of  August  of  the  year  1776. 

The  Venerable  Father  President  began  the  work  with  the  help  of 
two  of  the  Missionaries,  the  Captain  of  the  vessel  and  one  of  the  Pilots, 
the  Quartermaster  and  twenty  sailors,  all  of  them  armed  with  guns  and 
sabres,  in  view  of  what  might  happen.  All  the  converted  Indians  able 
to  work  also  went  along,  as  did  the  corporal  with  his  five  soldiers.  Upon 
arriving  at  the  spot  the  men  were  distributed,  to  the  number  of  fifty 
laborers,  besides  the  ranchmen  and  cooks.  Some  of  them  began  to 
carry  stone,  others  to  dig  the  trenches,  others  to  make  adobes,  not  only 
the  Pilot  and  Quartermaster  acting  as  overseers,  for  which  purpose  they 
had  come,  but  also  the  Fathers  and  the  Captain  of  the  packet-boat 
acting  in  this  capacity  as  well. 

The  work  progressed  with  so  much  enthusiasm  and  all  labored  with 
so  much  good  will  that  if  we  may  judge  by  what  they  accomplished  in 
two  weeks  all  would  have  been  done  before  the  time  for  the  sailing  of 
the  vessel,  and  an  adobe  wall  would  have  been  built  around  the  whole 
establishment.  But  this  time  the  Enemy  succeeded  in  stopping  the 
work,  not  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  pagans,  as  not  a  single  one 
of  these  showed  himself  anywhere  about,  but  through  the  land  Com- 
mander (Rivera),  who,  on  the  day  of  the  Nativity  of  Our  Lady,  the  8th 
of  September  (while  the  Venerable  Father  happened  to  be  at  the  gar- 
rison and  to  whom  not  a  word  had  been  said),  left  the  garrison  for  the 
Mission  and  there,  calling  aside  the  Commander  of  the  vessel,  told  him 
that  there  was  a  rumor  about  that  the  pagans  were  about  to  make 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  187 

another  attack  on  the  Mission  and  that  it  behooved  him  to  retire  his 
men  to  his  ship.  He  also  stated  that  he  was  about  to  give  orders  to 
the  corporal  to  retire  with  his  soldiers  to  the  presidio.  "You  will  do 
me  the  favor,"  he  added,  *'to  let  the  Fathers  know  this,  for  I  do  not 
want  to  tell  them,  as  I  know  how  very  badly  they  will  feel." 

The  Captain  of  the  vessel,  with  all  his  earnestness,  arguments  and 
skill,  could  not  make  him  desist  from  his  purpose,  though  he  asked  him 
if  he  had  made  any  effort  to  find  out  the  truth  in  the  matter.  To  this 
he  answered  that  he  had  not,  but  as  it  was  something  which  the  Indians 
were  repeating  from  mouth  to  mouth  he  had  no  doubt  it  was  so.  "Well, 
sir,"  the  other  replied,  "the  other  time  that  these  rumors  were  being 
circulated  you  sent  out  a  sergeant  to  make  inquiry  and  you  foimd  that 
it  was  all  a  lie,  and  that  the  villages  were  very  quiet,  and  that  the 
Indians  were  very  much  distressed  and  repentant  on  account  of  what 
had  been  done.  Why  don't  you  send  out  and  make  another  inquiry? 
With  all  the  armed  troops  which  are  here,  there  is  nothing  to  fear.  It 
would  be  much  more  to  your  credit  if  you  have  any  fears  in  the  matter 
to  put  here  a  larger  guard,  rather  than  retiring  your  guard  and  bringing 
shame  upon  our  Spanish  arms."  All  these  arguments,  instead  of  con- 
vincing him  (Rivera),  made  him  the  more  angry,  and  leaving  strict 
orders  with  the  corporal  to  retire  his  men,  he  set  out  for  the  presidio. 

The  Captain  of  the  vessel  communicated  to  the  Fathers  the  orders 
which  he  had  received  from  the  land  Commander,  telling  them  at  the 
same  time  all  the  arguments  which  he  had  presented  to  him,  to  persuade 
him  to  desist  from  his  purpose,  but  without  avail.  "I  see,"  he  said, 
"that  there  is  no  reason  to  retire  and  that  it  is  a  great  shame,  but  I  do 
not  wish  to  have  a  quarrel  with  this  man,  and  so  I  suppose  that  we  must 
go."  The  Fathers  felt  very  sorry  about  it,  but  none  so  much  so  as  the 
Venerable  Father  President.  As  soon  as  he  was  informed  as  to  the 
retreat,  he  was  almost  beside  himself,  being  able  only  to  say,  "Let  the 
will  of  the  Lord  be  done,"  and  so  find  some  relief  for  the  pain  in  his 
heart,  as  he  knew  that  God  only  could  provide  the  remedy.  So  he 
charged  the  Fathers  to  commend  themselves  to  our  God. 

No  less  was  the  regret  which  His  Excellency  felt  when  he  heard  of  what 
had  happened,  as  indeed  he  did  when  the  Captain  of  the  vessel  arrived  in 
San  Bias.  His  Excellency  immediately  dispatched  an  order  to  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Province  living  in  Loreto,  of  Old  California,  instructing  him  to 
move  his  residence  immediately  to  Monterey,  and  ordering  that  Captain 


i88  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Rivera  should  be  retired  to  Loreto.  This  His  Excellency  communicated 
to  the  Venerable  Father  President  in  a  long  letter,  dated  the  25th  of 
December  of  the  same  year,  1776,  from  which  I  extract  the  following 
clauses,  and  from  which  can  be  learned  what  strict  orders  were  given  to 
the  Governor. 

COPY  OF  THE  LETTER 

I  do  not  doubt  that  the  suspension  of  the  re-establishment  of  the  ruined  Mission 
at  San  Diego  must  have  caused  your  Reverence  great  pain,  as  indeed  it  has  caused 
me  no  little  displeasure  when  I  knew  of  it,  especially  when  we  consider  the  frivolous 
motives  which  were  alleged  as  reasons,  if  I  may  judge  from  the  letter  of  the  Naval 
Lieut.  Don  Diego  Choquet,  Commander  of  the  packet-boat  "El  Principe." 

I  suppose  that  with  the  arrival  of  the  twenty-five  men  which  I  ordered  to  be 
recruited  as  reinforcements  to  the  troops  in  that  garrison,  Don  Fernando  Rivera 
must  have  dedicated  himself  to  the  carrying  out  of  our  orders  and  also  proceeded  to 
the  erection  of  the  Mission  of  San  Juan  Capistrano  in  the  place  already  selected;  but 
if  this  has  not  been  done  I  hope  your  Reverence  will  not  doubt  but  that  the  Governor 
of  these  provinces  to  whom  has  been  sent  the  order  that  he  move  his  residence  to  the 
garrison  of  Monterey,  will  carry  out  these  plans,  if  he  has  not  done  so  quite  to  the 
satisfaction  of  your  Reverence,  because  of  the  zeal  which  animates  him  in  the  service 
and  the  other  good  qualities  which  adorn  his  character. 

I  instruct  and  require  that  everything  possible  should  be  done  for  the  develop- 
ment of  these  enterprises,  charging  him  strictly  that  in  case  the  re-establishment  of 
the  Mission  of  San  Diego  has  not  been  accomplished,  nor  that  of  San  Juan  Capistrano 
founded,  that  he  see  to  the  carrying  out  of  this  plan  at  once.  I  require  of  him  what 
I  formerly  required  of  Don  Fernando  Rivera;  namely,  that  the  chiefs  and  the  authors 
of  the  former  uprising  are  not  to  be  punished,  in  order  that  the  mercy  which  we 
show  them,  when  they  deserve  the  severest  penalty,  may  serve  them  as  an  example 
and  cause  them  to  come  again  to  live  quietly  and  obediently  under  our  care. 

One  of  the  things  which  I  also  strictly  charge  is  the  erection  of  the  Mission  of 
Santa  Clara  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  garrison  of  San  Francisco,  with  this  Saint  as 
Patron;  and  although  I  had  given  the  order  that  these  take  the  preference  to  the  two 
which  your  Reverence  asks  for  as  very  necessary  in  the  Channel  of  Santa  Barbara 
and  another  one  in  the  land  which  lies  between  one  Mission  and  the  other,  in  order 
to  make  more  sure  the  line  of  communication,  it  may  be  wise  to  suspend  it  until 
later,  and  until  the  others  have  been  perfectly  established.  So  that  in  view  of  this 
your  Reverence  may  send  me  word  by;  the  return  ships  what  utensils  may  be  needed 
for  them  in  order  that  I  may  provide  for  their  forwarding,  remembering  in  the  mean- 
while that  the  erection  of  these  other  Missions  is  not  to  be  omitted,  but  that  prefer- 
ence should  be  given,  it  seems  to  me,  to  the  Missions  planned  in  the  Channel  of  Santa 
Barbara,  in  order  to  bring  about  the  subjugation  of  the  many  pagan  people  who 
populate  that  region. 

The  Governor,  Don  Felipe  Neve,  is  charged  with  the  duty  of  consulting  me, 
proposing  to  me  whatever  he  may  conceive  as  proper  and  necessary  for  the  greater 
happiness  and  progress  of  these  Missions,  and  he  is  also  charged  that  in  everything  he 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  189 

is  to  labor  in  accord  with  your  Reverence,  and  I  hope  that,  continuing  with  that 
fervent  zeal  which  ever  fills  the  mind  of  your  Reverence  for  the  propagation  of  the 
Faith,  the  conversion  of  souls,  and  the  extension  of  the  dominion  of  the  King  in  those 
remote  regions,  you  will  order  put  into  effect  all  feasible  plans,  consulting  me  as  to 
what  may  be  necessary,  in  order  that  I  may  provide  for  their  effective  accomplish- 
ment. May  God  keep  your  Reverence  many  years.  Mexico,  25th  of  December, 
1776.  Knight  Commander  Don  Antonio  Bucareli  y  Ursua.  To  Reverend  Father 
Junlpero  Serra. 

If  these  very  favorable  provisions  for  the  propagation  of  the  Faith 
and  consolatory  letters  from  His  Excellency  could  have  come  into  the 
hands  of  the  fervent  Father  Junipero  as  quickly  as  we  are  able  to  insert 
them  here,  in  order  to  conserve  the  thread  of  the  story,  his  Reverence 
would  not  have  suffered  all  that  he  did;  but  the  long  delay,  on  account  of 
the  great  distance  from  Mexico,  greatly  afflicted  his  heart,  although  he 
always  lived  resigned  to  the  Divine  Will,  in  which  service  and  for  whose 
glory  he  suffered  this  mute  martyrdom.  For  every  order  which  was 
given  by  the  Commander  of  these  military  posts  which  either  prevented 
or  retarded  the  conversion  of  the  gentiles  was  an  arrow  sharper  than  any 
that  had  served  to  take  the  life  of  the  Venerable  Father  Frey  Luis 
Jayme,  and  the  order  which  came  to  suspend  the  rebuilding  of  the  Mis- 
sion of  San  Diego  was  not  the  least  of  these  which  penetrated  the  heart 
of  the  Venerable  and  fervent  Prelate.  But  when  he  saw  that  no  further 
human  means  were  available  he  had  recourse  to  God,  begging  that  He 
who  was  the  Lord  of  this  Vineyard  should  supply  the  remedy,  and  to 
Him  he  constantly  presented  his  petition  in  the  Holy  Sacrifices  and 
prayers,  and  also  charged  the  other  Fathers  to  do  the  same,  until  finally 
the  Lord  sent  him  the  comfort  that  he  longed  for,  as  we  shall  see  in  the 
following  chapter. 


I90  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XLIII 

Reinforcements   Arrive,   Bringing   Favorable   Orders    Under    Which   the 

Re-establishment  of  the  Mission  of  San  Diego  is  Ejected  and 

the  Founding  of  San  Juan  Capistrano  is  Accomplished. 

THREE  weeks  after  the  work  on  the  rebuilding  of  San  Diego  had 
been  suspended,  the  troops  arrived  from  Old  California  for  that 
garrison,  being  the  twenty-five  soldiers  which  His  Excellency  had 
ordered  sent  as  reinforcements.  The  Corporal  in  command  brought  to 
the  Reverend  Father  President  the  two  very  consolatory  letters  from 
His  Excellency,  which  we  have  just  copied  in  Chapter  XLI.  This  good 
word,  which  the  Venerable  President  received  on  the  29th  of  September, 
—  the  feast  of  the  most  Glorious  Prince  Saint  Michael  [San  Miguel], 
recently  granted  anew  by  His  Holiness  to  be  the  Patron  Saint  of  all  the 
Missions  of  our  College, — ^brought  great  rejoicing  to  the  heart  of  the 
fervent  Father,  who  could  not  help  expressing  his  joy  by  ordering  a 
solemn  ringing  of  the  bells  and  celebrating  on  the  next  day  a  solemn 
Mass  in  thanksgiving  for  this  great  blessing,  charging  the  Fathers  that 
they  do  the  same  in  the  Low  Masses  and  that  they  especially  pray  for 
the  health  and  life  of  His  Excellency,  the  zealous  and  pious  Viceroy. 

When  the  Commander  had  been  informed  of  the  superior  orders  of 
His  Excellency  he  immediately  put  at  liberty  the  Indian  prisoners  whom 
he  had  intended  to  send  by  ship  to  San  Bias,  and  he  got  ready  the  guard 
of  twelve  soldiers  for  the  Mission  of  San  Diego,  in  order  that  they  might 
proceed  with  the  rebuilding  of  that  Mission,  as  well  as  with  the  founding 
of  the  Mission  of  San  Juan  Capistrano,  for  which  he  assigned  ten  men 
and  a  corporal.  He  also  added  two  to  the  Mission  of  San  Gabriel, 
leaving  the  remainder  in  the  garrison,  which  now  had  a  force  of  thirty 
men.  As  he  did  not  want  to  be  present  at  the  work  of  the  Missions,  he 
went  away  to  Monterey  with  the  twelve  men  assigned  to  the  Mission 
of  OMT  Father  St.  Francis. 

As  soon  as  our  fervent  Father  Junipero  found  himself  provided  with 
the  help  he  needed,  without  loss  of  time  he  proceeded  to  the  rebuilding 
of  the  Mission  of  San  Diego  with  the  other  two  Missionaries,  who  moved 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  191 

to  the  spot  with  all  the  converts,  and  diligently  began  the  work,  in 
which  the  natives  took  part  with  the  greatest  joy  and  with  such  vigor 
that  they  could  see  that  it  would  not  be  very  long  before  the  Mission 
was  again  in  running  order.  As  soon  as  things  were  well  started  his 
Reverence  left  the  work  in  the  hands  of  the  two  Missionaries  and  re- 
turned to  the  garrison,  in  order  to  make  ready  for  the  founding  of  the 
Mission  of  San  Juan  Capistrano.  But  first,  as  the  vessel  was  shortly 
to  sail,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  His  Excellency  thanking  him  for  the  pardon 
granted  the  Indians  and  stating  that  they  had  been  set  at  liberty.  He 
also  thanked  him  for  the  increase  in  the  troops  and  for  the  other  orders 
and  instructions  which  he  had  sent,  and  in  fiilfillment  of  which  he  was 
glad  to  say  that  the  work  of  San  Diego  was  progressing,  to  the  great 
joy  of  the  Indians,  and  that  as  soon  as  the  vessel  sailed  he  would  proceed 
to  the  founding  of  San  Juan  Capistrano. 

This  plan  he  carried  out,  taking  with  him  the  two  Missionaries,  the 
Father  Lector  Fr.  Pablo  Mugartegui  and  the  Father  Fr.  Gregorio 
Amiurio,  and  all  the  equipment  belonging  to  that  Mission,  under  the 
escort  of  ten  soldiers.  They  arrived  at  the  place  where  they  found  the 
Cross  still  standing;  they  dug  up  the  bells  which  had  been  buried  and 
hung  them  for  service.  At  the  ringing  of  them  the  Indians  flocked  in, 
rejoicing  to  see  that  the  Fathers  had  returned  to  their  land.  A  shelter 
of  boughs  was  made  and  an  altar  erected  on  which  the  Venerable  Father 
President  said  the  first  Mass.  As  he  was  desirous  of  seeing  the  work 
progress  rapidly,  his  Reverence  undertook  a  journey  to  the  Mission  of 
San  Gabriel,  in  order  to  bring  some  of  the  converts  to  help  in  the  work, 
besides  provisions  for  all,  and  the  cattle  which  were  there. 

On  his  way  back  to  the  new  Mission  with  this  assistance  he  was  so 
anxious  to  arrive  at  the  earliest  possible  moment  that  he  went  ahead 
of  the  pack-train  with  one  of  the  soldiers  who  had  charge  of  the  cattle 
and  with  one  of  the  neophytes  from  San  Gabriel.  When  about  half 
way,  or  about  ten  leagues  from  the  Mission,  he  found  himself  in  sudden 
danger  of  being  killed  by  the  pagans.  As  his  Reverence  himself  told  me 
the  first  time  I  saw  him  afterwards,  he  surely  believed  that  they  were 
about  to  take  his  life,  for  a  great  crowd  of  them  sprang  out  in  front  of 
him  in  the  road,  all  painted  and  well  armed,  yelling  in  the  most  dreadful 
fashion  and  putting  arrows  to  the  bows,  as  if  about  to  kill  the  Father 
and  the  soldier  with  the  evident  intention  of  stealing  the  cattle.  He  was 
providentially  saved  from  this  danger  by  the  native  Christian  who,  when 


a 


192  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

he  saw  the  hostile  attitude  of  the  gentiles,  cried  out  to  them,  telling  them 
not  to  kill  the  Father  as  there  were  many  soldiers  coming  behind  and 
that  they  would  destroy  them  all.  When  they  heard  this  in  their  own 
language  they  were  restrained,  and  immediately  the  Father  called  to 
them  and  had  them  all  draw  near,  they  being  now  converted  into  gentle 
lambs.  He  made  the  sign  of  the  Cross  upon  them  all,  as  was  his  custom, 
and  then  he  made  them  presents  of  glass  beads  (of  which  they  are  very 
fond)  and  so  left  them  as  friends,  and  went  on  his  journey,  with  no  other 
incident  than  the  fatigue  of  the  trip  and  the  pain  in  his  foot.  Upon  his 
arrival  at  the  site  of  the  new  Mission,  bringing  the  assistance  of  so  many 
laborers  and  abundant  provisions,  the  work  of  construction  went  on 
apace. 

i  The  site  of  the  Mission  is  a  beautiful  one  with  a  fine  view  from  the 
houses  out  over  the  sea,  as  it  is  only  half  a  league  distant  from  the  shore, 
with  a  good  anchorage  even  for  frigates,  and  defended  from  the  weather 
during  that  part  of  the  season  when  the  vessels  visit  this  coast,  as  the 
south  winds  which  blow  at  that  time  are  not  very  strong,  and  the  harbor 
is  open  in  that  direction.  From  the  north  and  west  the  vessels  are  well 
protected  by  a  high  point  of  land  which  juts  out  quite  a  way  into  the 
sea,  forming  a  bay,  which  the  Naval  Officers  called  San  Juan  Capistrano, 
and  in  which  there  is  a  good-sized  inlet,  into  which  the  stream  of  fresh 
water  which  runs  down  by  the  side  of  the  Mission  empties.  It  is  near 
this  inlet  that  the  vessels  unload  their  cargoes  for  this  Mission  and  for 
that  of  San  Gabriel,  saving  themselves  the  labor  of  going  to  the  port  of 
San  Diego  in  order  to  transport  their  cargoes  by  mule-train. 

The  Mission  is  situated  at  north  latitude  33>^°,  and  twenty-six 
leagues  from  the  Mission  and  port  of  San  Diego  and  only  eighteen 
leagues  to  the  southeast  from  San  Gabriel.  The  climate  is  good,  with 
its  warm  days  in  simmier  and  its  cold  days  in  winter,  but  until  now  un- 
doubtedly salubrious.  There  is  a  rainy  season  and  the  irrigation  is  much 
helped  by  the  waters  of  the  little  stream,  which  enable  them  to  obtain 
abundant  harvests  of  wheat  and  com,  beans  and  vegetables,  not  only  in 
sufficient  quantities  for  the  converts,  but  quite  a  little  is  left  over  for  the 
support  of  the  troops,  which  is  given  in  exchange  for  clothing  for  the 
Indians.  There  is  also  plenty  of  pasture  for  all  kinds  of  cattle,  and  the 
herds  are  on  the  increase. 

Having  noticed  from  the  very  first  that  all  this  land  was  covered 
'with  wild  grape-vines  so  that  they  looked  like  vineyards,  the  Fathers 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  193 

started  to  plant  some  grafted  vines  which  they  brought  from  Old 
California  and  from  them  they  have  already  obtained  wine  in  quantities 
not  only  sufficient  for  the  service  of  the  Mass  but  also  for  table  use. 
They   have   also   an   abundance   of   Spanish   fruits  —  pomegranates,  ^ 
peaches,  apricots,  quinces,  etc. 

With  the  help  of  the  interpreter,  whom  the  Venerable  Father  Pres- 
ident and  Founder  had  brought  from  San  Gabriel,  it  was  easy  to  an- 
nounce from  the  very  beginning  what  was  the  object  that  brought  them 
to  live  among  the  Indian  people;  namely,  that  of  showing  them  the  way 
to  heaven  and  to  make  Christians  of  them  that  they  might  be  saved. 
This  they  so  clearly  understood  and  so  heartily  accepted  that  they  soon 
began  to  ask  for  baptism  and  (I  am  quoting  from  the  letters  which  the 
Fathers  wrote),  that  in  like  manner  as  the  gentiles  of  other  Missions  had 
burdened  the  Fathers  with  their  continual  asking  for  things  to  eat  and 
for  other  little  presents,  those  of  San  Juan  Capistrano  were  continually 
asking  that  they  might  be  baptized,  as  it  seemed  hard  for  them  to  wait 
the  time  necessary  for  their  instruction.  Therefore,  with  this  help  of 
which  we  have  spoken,  the  Spiritual  Work  was  carried  on  with  en- 
thusiasm, and  the  first  baptisms  very  shortly  celebrated.  The  number 
of  these  continued  to  increase  so  rapidly  that  when  the  Venerable 
Father  Founder  Fr.  Junipero  died  there  were  four  hundred  and  seventy-  . 
two  of  the  natives  in  that  place  and  adjacent  villages  who  were  converts. 
Soon  after  his  most  exemplary  death  this  nimiber  was  greatly  increased. 

Afterwards,  when  I  wrote  to  all  the  Missionaries,  sending  them  word 
concerning  the  death  of  the  Venerable  Prelate,  I  related  to  them  how,  a 
little  before  he  died,  he  had  promised  me  that  if  he  was  granted  entrance 
to  the  presence  of  God  he  would  intercede  for  us  all  and  especially  for 
the  conversion  of  the  gentiles.  The  Father  Lector  Fr.  Pablo  Mugar-» . 
tegui,  in  reply  to  my  letter,  wrote  as  follows :  ''It  seems  to  me  that  I  can 
already  see  how  the  promise  made  by  our  Venerable  Father  Junipero 
is  being  here  fiilfilled,  for  in  these  last  three  months  we  have  had  more 
baptisms  than  in  the  previous  three  years,  and  many  are  coming  in  to  be 
instructed.  Thank  God!  We  trust  in  the  Lord  that  we  shall  bring 
about  the  conversion  of  all  the  rest." 

So  great  was  this  thirst  for  the  conversion  of  souls  which  possessed 
the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  that  neither  the  reconstruction  of  the 
Mission  of  San  Diego  nor  the  founding  of  that  of  San  Juan  Capistrano 
seemed  to  satisfy  him,  but  he  was  much  concerned  for  the  founding  of 


194  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

the  Missions  near  this  port  of  our  Father  St.  Francis  [San  Francisco], 
concerning  which,  on  account  of  the  great  distance  of  about  two  hundred 
leagues,  he  had  not  had  a  single  word.  In  order  to  be  relieved  of  this 
anxiety  and  to  have  a  hand  in  its  founding  in  case  that  work  had  not 
been  accomplished,  he  started  out  for  Monterey,  visiting  on  the  way  the 
three  Missions  of  San  Gabriel,  San  Luis  [Obispo]  and  San  Antonio, 
where  he  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  them  greatly  enlarged  in  spiritual 
and  temporal  things,  and  the  Fathers  very  happy.  He  improved  the 
occasion  to  baptize  some  of  the  catechumens  in  order  to  have  spiritual 
children  in  each  of  them.  He  spent  six  months  in  these  Apostolic 
labors,  arriving  at  his  own  Mission  of  San  Carlos  with  the  merit  of  all 
this  work  upon  him,  in  the  month  of  January  of  1777,  and  here  he  had 
the  crowning  desire  of  his  heart  satisfied  with  the  good  news  that  the 
two  Missions  of  this  port  had  been  established,  as  I  will  tell  in  the  follow- 
ing chapter.  ^:jm 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  195 


CHAPTER  XLIV 

Instructions  Which  Were  Given  by  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  for  the 

Founding  of  the  Missions  of  Our  Father  St.  Francis 

[San  Francisco], 

ONE  of  the  matters  which  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  presented 
to  His  Excellency  at  the  time  of  his  visit  to  Mexico  City  was  the 
establishing  of  the  two  Missions  of  our  Father  St.  Francis  and  Santa 
Clara,  which  had  been  projected  as  early  as  the  year  1770.  When  his 
Reverence  saw  that  in  the  provisional  ordiaance  which  had  been  drawn 
up  no  reference  at  all  was  made  to  these  Missions,  but  rather  that  the 
way  seemed  closed  in  this  direction,  he  made  a  special  plea  for  them  with 
His  Excellency,  bringing  to  his  attention  the  very  large  nimiber  of  con- 
versions which  must  result  from  their  establishment.  Now  as  a  result 
of  the  frequent  conversations  which  this  gentleman  had  had  with  the 
enthusiastic  Father,  his  own  noble  heart  had  been  set  on  fire  with  a  love 
for  the  conversion  of  the  pagans,  so  he  made  haste  to  console  him  by 
saying  that  he  need  not  worry  about  them,  that  he  would  be  personally 
responsible  for  these  two  Missions;  that  the  Royal  Council  had  in  mind 
the  limited  ntimber  of  troops  available  for  these  Missions  and  the  diffi- 
culty of  their  transportation.  He  told  the  Father  to  ask  God  to  grant 
the  opening  of  communication  by  way  of  the  Colorado  River  and  that 
when  this  was  done  he  woiild  see  not  only  the  founding  of  these  two  but 
of  as  many  more  as  might  be  thought  necessary.  He  was  much  com- 
forted by  this  answer  and  began  to  ask  God  for  the  success  of  the  ex- 
pedition of  Don  Juan  Bautista  de  Anza.  This  our  Lord  was  pleased  to 
grant  even  before  his  Reverence  had  arrived  at  the  Mission  of  San 
Carlos,  as  we  have  noted  in  Chapter  XXXV.  - 

As  soon  as  Capt.  Anza  arrived  in  Mexico  City  and  reported  to  His 
Excellency  concerning  his  commission,  stating  that  the  pass  by  the  way 
of  the  Colorado  River  had  been  discovered  and  a  road  opened  from  ^ 
Sonora  to  Monterey,  through  many  Indian  tribes  who  had  all  shown 
themselves  friendly.  His  Excellency  ordered  this  same  Captain  to  pre- 
pare himself  for  a  second  expedition  and  that  he  ask  for  what  might  be 


196  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

needed,  in  order  to  recruit  —  in  the  Provinces  of  Sinaloa  and  Sonora  — 
i  thirty  armed  soldiers,  men  with  families,  which  they  were  to  take,  and 
besides  other  families  to  go  as  colonists,  that  upon  their  arrival  at  the 
place  of  the  new  Missions  they  might  there  establish  a  Spanish  town. 
The  expenses  for  this  recruiting  and  transportation  from  the  Provinces 
to  Monterey  were  to  be  paid  from  the  royal  treasury,  which  supplied 
him  with  all  that  he  needed.  The  Captain  set  out  from  Mexico  to 
carry  out  the  plans  of  this  second  expedition  early  in  the  year  1775. 

His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  was  glad  to  communicate  this  news  to 
the  Venerable  Father  President,  not  only  for  his  consolation  beforehand, 
but  that  he  might  continue  to  pray  God  for  the  success  of  the  expedition. 
This  communication  was  sent  by  letter  on  the  15th  of  December,  1774, 
and  he  was  charged  with  the  naming  of  four  Missionaries  to  act  as 
Ministers  of  the  two  Missions  which  were  to  be  founded,  one  under  the 
advocacy  of  our  Father,  San  Francisco,  and  the  other  under  that  of 
Santa  Clara,  both  to  be  under  the  protection  of  the  garrison  which  was 
to  be  established  in  the  port  of  San  Francisco. 

The  Venerable  Prelate  received  this  joyful  news  on  the  27th  of  June, 
1775)  by  the  packet-boat  *'San  Carlos,"  whose  Captain  was  the  Naval 
(  Lieutenant  of  the  royal  squadron,  Don  Juan  de  Ayala.  His  orders  were 
to  leave  in  Monterey  the  cargo  of  provisions  and  the  letters  and  then  to 
go  on  to  the  port  of  San  Francisco  and  explore  it,  in  order  to  see  if  there 
was  an  entrance  to  it  through  the  channel  or  strait  which  had  been  seen 
only  by  land.  This  he  did,  and  only  nine  days  after  sailing  from  the 
port  of  Monterey  he  reached  the  port  of  San  Francisco  without  incident 
and  found  that  the  channel  was  quite  deep  and  that  it  could  be  entered 
even  by  night  without  difficulty.  The  "throat"  of  the  entrance  was 
scarcely  a  league  in  length  and  in  the  narrowest  place  only  a  quarter  of  a 
league  in  width.  The  entrance  was  without  bar  or  shoal  and  with 
strong  currents  setting  in  and  out  with  the  flood  and  ebb  of  the  tide. 

On  entering  the  inlet  they  found  a  great  inland  sea  with  two  branches, 
the  one  which  extends  to  the  southward  about  fifteen  leagues,  and  the 
other  extending  from  three,  four  and  five  leagues  wide  to  the  north. 
Within  this  inlet  they  found  a  great  bay,  almost  ten  leagues  wide,  and 
almost  round,  into  which  the  great  river  of  our  Father  San  Francisco 
empties,  and  which  is  over  a  quarter  of  a  league  in  width.  They  found 
that  this  was  formed  by  five  large  rivers  which,  winding  down  through 
an  immense  plain  stretching  away  to  the  distant  horizon,  unite  to  form 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  197 

this  one  large  river.     This  immense  quantity  of  water  empties  out 
through  the  narrow  passage  into  the  Pacific  Ocean  at  the  bay  which  is   j 
called  ''The  Farallones." 

The  packet-boat  spent  forty  days  in  this  port  and  succeeded  in  ex- 
ploring it  thoroughly  with  the  help  of  the  launch,  coming  into  com- 
munication with  many  villages  of  the  Indians  who  were  all  quiet,  peace- 
ful and  very  courteous.  They  made  drawings  of  all  they  saw  and  ex- 
plored, taking  notice  that  the  entrance  of  the  port  was  a  few  minutes 
less  than  38  degrees  north,  although  inside  and  up  the  branch  which 
runs  northward  they  found  the  sea  extending  considerably  beyond  that 
latitude.  When  the  exploration  was  finished,  they  returned  to  the  port 
of  Monterey,  about  the  middle  of  September  and  there  told  us  what  they 
had  seen.  When  we  asked  the  Captain  if  it  seemed  like  a  good  port  he  , 
answered:  "It  is  not  a  port,  but  a  wfiole  pocketful  of  ports  into  which  a 
great  many  squadrons  could  enter  without  one  being  discovered  by  the 
other,  except  that  they  would  see  one  another  while  entering  or  going 
out  through  the  narrow  entrance."  He  assured  us  that  all  the  harbors 
were  well  protected. 

An  account  of  all  this  was  sent  to  His  Excellency,  with  the  map 
which  the  Commander  of  the  vessel  had  made.  The  Venerable  Father 
President  also  wrote,  sending  his  thanks  and  congratulations  for  the 
efficient  steps  taken  in  behalf  of  these  Spiritual  Conquests,  advising 
him  at  the  same  time  that  he  had  named  as  Missionaries  for  the  two 
Missions  the  following  men :  For  the  Mission  of  Santa  Clara,  Fr.  Joseph 
Murguia,  son  of  the  Apostolic  College,  and  Fr.  Tomas  de  la  Peiia,  of 
the  Province  of  Cantabria;  and  for  the  Mission  of  our  Father  San 
Francisco,  Fr.  Pedro  Benito  Cambon  of  the  Province  of  Santiago  of 
Galicia,  and  myself,  the  least  of  the  sons  of  that  Holy  Province  of 
Mallorca.  He  also  stated  that  we  were  ready  to  undertake  the  found- 
ing of  the  Missions  as  soon  as  the  expedition  from  Sonora  should  arrive, 
for  whose  safe  arrival  we  ceased  not  to  make  prayers  to  God. 

The  news  which  His  Excellency  received  concerning  the  exploration 
of  this  port  and  its  good  qualities  served  as  an  additional  incentive  to 
his  desire  that  these  Missions  might  be  founded.  But  as  the  distance 
by  land  from  Mexico  is  so  great  that  in  the  opinion  of  the  Commander 
of  the  expedition,  Don  Juan  de  Anza,  who  had  traversed  it  twice,  it  / 
could  not  be  less  than  one  thousand  leagues,  and  as  so  many  accidents 
might  happen  in  the  recruiting  of  soldiers  and  colonists,  which  would 


198  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

surely  cause  delay,  besides  the  fact  that  an  expedition  composed  of  so 
many  people  of  all  ages  must  necessarily  travel  very  slowly,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  much  more  time  was  spent  than  His  Excellency  had 
expected,  so  that  when  all  the  people  of  the  expedition  had  been  gotten 
ready,  by  September  of  the  year  1775,  in  the  garrison  of  San  Miguel 
de  Orcasitas  of  the  Province  of  Sonora,  and  though  the  expedition  set 
out  from  that  garrison  on  the  29th  of  that  month,  holy  day  of  that 
Saint,  it  did  not  arrive  at  the  Mission  of  San  Gabriel  until  the  4th  of 
January  of  the  following  year,  1776,  having  spent  in  the  journey  among 
territories  where  there  were  no  Christians  but  in  which  all  were  heathen, 

f  ninety-eight  days,  including  a  few  spent  in  camp  in  order  to  allow  the 
beasts  and  people  to  rest. 

They  were  delayed  in  the  Mission  of  San  Gabriel,  as  we  have  al- 
ready related  in  Chapter  XLI,  by  the  expedition  of  the  Commander 
with  his  troop  to  San  Diego.  When  this  matter  had  been  attended  to, 
twelve  soldiers  were  left  with  Commander  Rivera,  and  the  rest,  with 
all  the  people,  went  on  to  Monterey,  where  they  arrived  without  inci- 
dent on  the  loth  of  March.  On  the  next  day  we  all  went  to  attend 
the  High  Mass  of  Thanksgiving,  which  was   sung  by  Father  Pedro 

/  Font,  Missionary  of  the  Apostolic  College  of  the  Holy  Cross  of  Quer^- 
taro.  Minister  of  the  Missions  of  Sonora,  who  had  come  along  as  the 
Chaplain  of  the  expedition.  The  people  took  up  their  residence  in  the 
garrison  of  Monterey  and  rested  there  till  June,  as  we  shall  see  later. 
The  Commander  Anza  had  orders  from  His  Excellency  that  as  soon 
as  he  had  safely  arrived  at  Monterey  he  was  to  go  on  with  Commander 
Rivera  to  make  exploration  of  the  land  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  port 
in  order  to  determine  the  sites  for  the  location  of  the  garrison  and  of 
the  Missions;  but  when  the  latter  Commander  excused  himself  on  the 
plea  that  his  presence  was  necessary  in  San  Diego  on  accoimt  oi  what 
had  happened,  and  left  the  whole  matter  in  the  hands  of  Commander 
Anza,  this  officer  undertook  the  exploration,  taking  with  him  Don 

I  Joseph  Moraga,  Lieut.-Captain,  and  named  to  act  as  Commander  of 
the  new  garrison.  Taking  with  them  a  detachment  of  soldiers,  they 
made  the  exploration,  marked  the  sites,  and  returned  to  Monterey, 
sending  an  account  of  what  they  had  done  by  letter  to  Commander 
Rivera  in  which  they  suggested  that  he  proceed  to  the  founding  of  the 
Missions  as  soon  as  possible,  as  His  Excellency  had  instructed  them, 
and  if  the  Commander  could  not  leave  his  other  work  so  soon,  that  he 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  199 

give  the  commission  to  Lieut.  Moraga,  who  had  had  a  part  in  the  explo- 
ration. He  also  said  that  further  delay  was  to  be  avoided,  if  possible, 
because  the  people  who  were  still  waiting  in  Monterey  were  much  dis- 
gusted because  they  had  not  been  able  to  reach,  as  yet,  their  desti- 
nation. When  he  had  taken  these  steps  Lieut.-Colonel  Don  Juan 
Bautista  de  Anza  considered  that  he  had  finished  his  commission  and 
so  returned  to  Sonora  with  the  ten  soldiers  which  he  had  brought  with 
him  to  serve  as  his  escort  on  the  return  journey.  From  there  he  went 
on  to  Mexico  to  give  an  account  to  the  Viceroy  concerning  the  com- 
mission which  had  been  committed  to  his  charge. 


200  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XLV 

The  Founding  of  the  Mission  and  Presidio  of  Our  Father,  San  Francisco. 

AS  soon  as  the  Commander,  who  was  in  San  Diego,  received  the 
letter  from  Captain  Anza,  he  sent  an  order  to  Lieutenant  Moraga 
instructing  him  to  proceed  with  all  the  people  who  had  come  from 
Sonora  to  the  founding  of  the  garrison  of  this  port  of  our  Father  San 
Francisco.  The  latter,  as  soon  as  he  received  these  instructions,  ordered 
every  one  to  prepare  to  set  out  on  the  17th  of  June.  A  few  days  later 
the  two  packet-boats  arrived  in  Monterey  with  the  provisions,  letters 
and  equipment.  The  Captain  of  "El  Principe"  had  orders  to  leave 
here  a  part  of  the  cargo  and  to  take  the  rest  down  to  the  port  of  San 
Diego.  It  was  then  that  the  Venerable  Prelate  determined  to  improve 
the  opportunity  and  to  go  down  with  him,  as  we  have  already  related 
in  Chapter  XLII. 

The  Commander  and  Captain  of  the  packet-boat  ''San  Carlos," 
who  was  Naval  Lieut.  Don  Fernando  de  Quiros,  was  under  orders,  also 
from  His  Excellency,  to  leave  in  Monterey  the  cargo  belonging  to  that 
garrison  and  then  to  go  on  with  the  rest  to  this  new  port  in  order  to 
help  in  the  founding.  The  Venerable  President  decided  that  the  two 
Missionaries  who  were  to  go  to  the  Mission  of  our  Father  San  Francisco 
should  travel,  both  of  us,  with  the  land  expedition,  for,  while  the  Com- 
mander Rivera  had  not  given  the  order  for  the  founding  of  the  Mis- 
sions, because  he  had  with  him  in  San  Diego  the  twelve  soldiers  who 
were  to  act  as  guard  of  this  Mission,  it  was  thought  he  would  not  delay 
long  in  sending  tliem,  and  as  anyway  all  the  equipment  was  to  be  trans- 
ported thither  by  ship  we  would  be  able  to  act  as  prudence  might  best 
dictate  in  the  matter.  In  view  of  this  resolution,  we  put  on  board  the 
packet-boat  everything  which  belonged  to  this  Mission  of  our  Father, 
leaving  behind  only  the  vestments  and  chapel  furnishings,  taking  with 
us  on  the  land  journey  of  forty-two  leagues  only  what  was  most  neces- 
sary, in  order  that  we  might  keep  up  with  the  expedition  without  any 
delay  on  account  of  the  freight. 

The  land  expedition  set  out  from  the  garrison  of  Monterey  on  the 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  201 

day  indicated,  17th  of  June,  1776,  being  composed  of  the  aforemen- 
tioned Colnmander,  Lieut.  Don  Joseph  Moraga,  a  Sergeant  with  six-* 
teen  mounted  and  armored  soldiers,  all  of  them  married  men,  the  large 
families  of  the  seven  colonists,  together  with  the  families  of  a  few  others 
who  had  joined  them  with  their  respective  servants,  the  cattle-men 
and  muleteers  who  were  driving  the  cattle  belonging  to  the  garrison, 
and  the  pack-train  with  the  provisions  and  utensils  necessary  for  the 
journey,  leaving  all  the  rest  to  be  brought  in  the  packet-boat  which 
was  also  to  sail  on  the  same  day.  Those  of  us  who  were  to  constitute 
the  Mission  were  the  two  Missionaries  already  named,  two  young 
men-servants,  two  converted  Indians  from  Old  California  and  another 
from  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos  who  went  along  to  see  if  he  could  not 
serve  us  as  an  interpreter  (but  as  we  found  the  language  was  different, 
he  was  only  able  to  help  in  taking  care  of  the  cattle).  The  whole 
expedition  thus  started  out  for  this  port. 

Four  days  before  arriving  at  the  port  in  the  great  plain  which  had 
been  named  San  Bernardino,  as  the  expedition  was  strung  out  along 
the  road,  a  herd  of  large  animals  that  looked  like  cattle  could  be  seen 
ahead  of  us,  but  we  could  not  imagine  where  they  could  have  come 
from  or  from  what  pasturage  they  might  have  escaped.  Some  soldiers 
immediately  went  ahead  to  catch  them  in  order  that  they  might  not 
stampede  the  tame  cattle  which  we  were  driving;  but  when  they  came 
near  enough  they  saw  they  were  not  cattle,  but  deer,  or  a  species  of 
deer,  as  large  as  the  largest  ox  or  bull,  with  antlers  of  the  same  form 
or  figure  as  those  of  the  deer,  but  so  long  that  they  measured  sixteen 
palms  from  tip  to  tip.  The  soldiers  succeeded  in  killing  three  of  them 
which  they  brought  in  on  mules  to  the  place  where  we  stopped  for 
water,  about  half  a  league  distant. 

When  they  tried  to  load  one  of  them  onto  a  mule  they  found  that 
he  could  not  carry  it  except  by  changing  from  one  animal  to  the  other, 
and  only  thus  were  they  able  to  bring  it  in  entire  so  that  we  could  have 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  animal  which,  indeed,  looked  like  a  monster 
with  his  tremendous  horns.  I  was  curious  enough  to  measure  them  and 
found  that  they  measured  four  varas  (11  ft.),  as  I  have  said.  I  also 
noticed  that  under  each  eye  there  was  a  hollow  place  which  made  it 
look  as  though  the  animal  had  four  eyes,  though  of  course  the  two  be- 
low were  without  eye-balls  and  seemed  to  serve  for  the  discharge  of 
the  tear  glands.     The  soldiers  who  had  run  the  animals  down  said  that 


202  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

they  had  noticed  that  they  always  ran  with  the  wind.  This  undoubtedly 
must  have  been  on  account  of  the  weight  of  their  tremendous  horns, 
which  reach  out  so  wide  and  have  so  many  points  that  they  form  a  sort 
of  fan  which,  if  the  animal  were  to  run  against  the  wind  would  be 
likely  either  to  upset  him  or  hinder  him  in  his  speed.  Of  the  fifteen  which 
the  soldiers  saw  they  were  only  able  to  come  up  with  three  of  them 
though  they  had  good  horses.  The  animals  furnished  otir  people  with 
meat  for  several  days,  as  it  was  cooked  and  lasted  until  we  reached  the 
port.  The  flesh  is  very  savory  and  wholesome  and  so  fat  that  from 
the  one  which  they  brought  in  entire  they  filled  a  bag  and  a  half  with 
I  the  lard  and  tallow.  They  called  these  animals  ciervos  (elk),  in  order 
to  distinguish  them  from  the  ordinary  animals  with  which  we  are  ac- 
,  quainted  in  Spain,  and  which  the  people  here  call  venados  (deer).  These 
latter  are  also  to  be  found  near  the  port  in  great  numbers  and  of  large 
size,  some  of  them  being  of  a  yellow  or  sorrel  color. 

In  these  same  plains  of  San  Bernardino,  which  stretch  over  half  the 
way  between  the  ports  of  Monterey  and  San  Francisco,  there  is  another 
species  of  deer  about  the  size  of  a  three  year  old  sheep,  of  the  same 
form  as  the  deer,  but  with  this  difference,  that  they  have  small  horns 
and  short  legs,  like  the  sheep.  These  are  abundant  in  the  plains  and 
can  be  seen  in  herds  of  one  or  two  hundred,  or  even  more,  running  all 
together  across  the  plain.  They  seem  almost  to  fly,  having  a  custom, 
whenever  they  see  travelers,  of  running  across  the  road  ahead  of  them. 
It  is  not  easy  to  catch  them  in  the  plain,  although  the  soldiers  made  a 
great  effort  to  do  so,  and  only  succeeded  when  the  hunters  took  the 
precaution  to  divide  themselves  into  groups  and  station  themselves 
at  vantage  points,  while  others  down  on  the  plains  frightened  the 
animals  and  started  them  running  and  so  tired  them  out  without  taring 
their  own  horses.  In  this  way,  as  soon  as  they  noticed  that  some  one  of 
the  animals  was  lagging  behind,  which  was  a  sign  of  weariness,  the 
riders  would  dash  after  them  on  horseback  and  so  separate  them  from 
the  herd,  and  in  this  way  secure  them.  On  other  occasions  they  would 
succeed  in  getting  them  to  run  up  the  hillsides  where  they  were  easily 
captured,  because,  unlike  the  deer,  they  are  fleet  only  on  the  plains. 
« They  call  these  animals  berendos^^  (antelope),  and  there  are  many  of 
the  same  in  the  regions  about  the  Missions  in  the  south  where  there  are 
plains.  But  the  large  elk  are  found  only  to  the  north  of  Monterey. 
The  presence  of  these  animals  greatly  pleased  the  soldiers  and  the 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  203 

colonists  who  composed  the  expedition  and  when  they  had  rested 
there  one  day  at  the  camp  called  "The  Wounds  of  our  Father  San 
Francisco,"  the  expedition  proceeded  to  this  port. 

On  the  27th  of  June  we  arrived  at  a  place  in  the  vicinity  of  this 
port  where  a  camp  was  formed,  which  was  composed  of  fifteen  tents 
erected  on  the  edge  of  a  large  lake  (Laguna  de  las  Dolores)  which  emp- 
ties into  the  arm  of  the  sea  or  inlet  of  the  port,  which  projects  south- 
ward fifteen  leagues  from  the  entrance,  and  here  we  waited  for  the 
vessel  to  arrive,  in  order  to  designate  the  site  for  the  garrison,  in  view 
of  what  might  prove  to  be  the  best  anchoring  place.  As  soon  as  the 
expedition  halted,  a  great  many  of  the  pagans  came  in,  making  signs 
of  friendship  and  expressing  their  pleasure  at  our  arrival.  Their  good 
will  was  greatly  increased  when  they  saw  with  what  courtesy  we  treated 
them,  and  when  they  received  the  little  presents  which  we  gave  them 
of  beads  and  trinkets  to  attract  them,  and  also  of  our  food.  They 
continued  to  visit  us  frequently,  bringing  us  presents  of  small  value, 
principally  shell-fish  and  grass  seeds. 

On  the  next  day  after  our  arrival  an  arbor  was  built  in  which  an 
altar  was  set  up  and  there  I  said  the  first  Mass  on  the  day  of  St.  Peter 
and  St.  Paul.  My  companion  likewise  immediately  celebrated  the 
Holy  Sacrifice  and  we  continued  saying  Mass  every  day  for  a  whole 
month  while  we  remained  in  this  place.  In  the  meantime,  as  the  vessel 
had  not  arrived,  we  busied  ourselves  by  exploring  the  country  and 
visiting  the  Indian  villages  where  we  were  always  well  received  with 
every  sign  that  our  presence  in  the  country  was  welcome.  The  people 
showed  themselves  courteous  by  returning  the  visits,  whole  villages 
coming  in  to  see  us  and  bringing  their  little  presents,  which  we  tried 
to  return  in  a  little  better  kind  and  so  win  their  affection. 

In  the  exploration  which  we  made  we  found  that  we  were  on  a 
peninsula  without  other  exit  or  entrance  than  to  the  southward  and 
southeast,  as  on  every  other  side  we  were  surrounded  by  salt  water. 
On  the  east  we  had  the  inlet  which  extends  to  the  southeast,  although 
as  it  is  only  about  three  leagues  wide  we  could  easily  see  the  land  and 
the  mountains  on  the  other  side.  To  the  north  stretched  away  another 
arm  of  the  sea  and  on  the  west  and  south  was  the  great  Pacific  Ocean 
with  the  roadstead  of  the  Farallones  at  the  mouth  or  entrance  of  the 
port. 

When  we  saw  that  the  vessel  was  long  delayed  we  decided  to  begin 


204  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

to  cut  the  timber  for  the  construction  of  the  presidio  near  the  en- 
trance of  the  port  and  for  the  building  of  the  Mission  near  the  little 
lake  in  the  plain  which  lies  to  the  westward.  After  waiting  a  month 
at  this  place  with  no  signs  of  the  ship  nor  any  orders  from  Commander 
Rivera  as  to  the  sending  of  the  soldiers,  the  Lieutenant  decided  to 
leave  us  six  soldiers  for  a  guard  in  this  place  which  had  been  selected 
for  the  Mission,  as  well  as  two  of  the  colonists,  while  he  moved  on 
with  all  the  rest  of  the  people  to  a  place  near  the  entrance  of  the  port 
in  order  to  begin  to  work  there  while  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the 
packet-boat. 

This  latter  entered  the  port  on  the  i8th  of  August,  having  been 
delayed  by  contrary  winds,  which  had  carried  it  away  southward  as 
far  as  latitude  32°.  With  the  help  of  the  sailors  which  the  Commander 
of  the  packet-boat  divided  between  the  garrison  and  the  Mission,  a 
house  was  constructed  at  the  former  place  for  a  chapel  and  another 
for  a  storehouse.  At  the  latter  a  house  was  built  for  the  chapel  and 
another  with  several  rooms  for  the  dwellings  of  the  Fathers.  The 
soldiers  also  built  their  houses,  both  in  the  presidio  and  in  the  Mission, 
all  being  constructed  of  wood,  with  roofs  of  thatch.  Formal  possession 
of  the  presidio  was  taken  on  the  17th  of  September,  the  Day  of  the 
Impression  of  the  Stigmata  of  Our  Holy  Father  St.  Francis,^^  Patron 
Saint  of  the  presidio  and  port.  After  having  blessed,  venerated  and 
set  up  the  Holy  Cross,  I  on  that  day  sang  the  first  High  Mass,  closing 
the  service  with  a  Te  Deum.  The  officers  then  performed  the  solemn 
act  of  taking  possession  in  the  name  of  Our  Sovereign,  with  a  cannonade 
from  vessel  and  shore,  and  with  the  discharge  of  musketry  by  the 
troops. 

The  formal  possession  of  the  Mission  was  delayed  because  we  were 
hoping  that  the  order  from  Commander  Rivera  would  arrive,  and  in 
the  meantime  the  Commanders  of  the  presidio  and  packet-boat  decided 
to  make  an  expedition  by  sea  in  order  to  explore  the  great  arm  of  water 
which  projects  inland  from  the  harbor  to  the  north,  that  they  might 
discover,  if  possible,  at  what  point  the  great  river  of  Our  Father  St. 
Francis  empties  into  the  bay  and  flows  out  between  the  headland  at 
the  mouth  of  this  port.  Before  starting  out  they  agreed  upon  the  point 
at  which  they  were  to  meet  so  that  the  men  of  the  ship  might  go  up 
the  river  in  the  launch,  while  the  land  expedition  traveled  along  the 
river  bank. 

The  captain  of  the  packet-boat,  Don  Fernando  Quiros,  Naval  Lieu- 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  205 

tenant,  with  his  first  pilot,  Don  Joseph  Canizares,  went  in  the  launch,  ac- 
companied by  my  companion,  Fr.  Pedro  Benito  Cambon,  in  order  to  deal 
and  communicate  with  the  gentiles.  They  went  northward  until  they 
arrived  at  a  headland,  where  it  had  been  agreed  that  both  expeditions 
were  to  unite,  in  order  to  proceed  with  the  exploration  together.  On 
the  same  day  the  Commander  of  the  presidio,  taking  with  him  the  troop 
which  he  thought  necessary,  started  southward,  going  along  the  edge  of 
the  great  inlet,  or  arm  of  the  sea,  until  he  came  to  the  head  of  it,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  fifteen  leagues,  where  he  found  a  good  sized  river  empty- 
ing in,  which  is  called  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe.  They  had  to  go  up 
along  the  bank  in  a  southeasterly  direction  for  some  distance  before 
they  could  cross  on  horseback.  Once  on  the  other  shore  of  the  inlet 
they  saw  that  they  woiild  have  to  travel  back  again  the  whole  fifteen 
leagues  in  order  to  come  to  the  place  opposite  the  port  and  from  there 
they  would  still  have  to  travel  northward  along  the  coast  quite  a  dis- 
tance before  they  could  come  to  the  headland  which  had  been  agreed 
upon  as  a  place  for  meeting  the  sea  expedition,  so,  in  order  to  save  time, 
considering  that  an  opening  which  they  found  in  the  hills  would  enable 
them  to  make  a  short  cut  on  their  way  to  this  place  of  union,  they  decided 
to  leave  the  seashore  and  to  enter  the  defile.  But  it  turned  out  to  be 
quite  different  from  what  they  expected  and  for  this  reason  they  saw 
nothing  of  their  companions  in  all  the  journey.  After  following  up  the 
ravine  which  led  them  through  the  hills  they  came  out  upon  a  great  plain 
a  long  way  from  the  shore  and  farther  away  still  from  the  headland  agreed 
upon.  Now,  considering  that  it  was  too  late  for  them  to  find  their 
companions  there,  as  the  time  had  long  passed,  they  decided  to  go  on 
across  this  wide  plain  in  which  they  could  see  the  valleys  of  five  rivers, 
judging  them  to  be  such  by  the  lines  of  trees  which  they  could  see  from  a 
distance  in  the  bottoms  of  the  valleys,  all  of  them  winding  in  and  out 
and  coming  down  from  different  directions  and  making  their  way  toward 
the  port.  They  traveled  on  till  they  came  to  the  first  line  of  trees 
which  they  saw  and  here  they  found  a  great  river  with  its  margin  lined 
with  large  trees  of  different  sorts.  They  went  up  along  the  bank  as 
they  did  not  dare  to  cross  it  on  account  of  the  volume  of  water.  They 
found  here  several  native  villages,  the  Indians  of  which  were  all  friendly, 
with  whom  they  put  themselves  in  communication  by  making  them 
presents  of  beads  and  receiving  fish  in  return.  Some  of  these  accom- 
panied them  up  stream. 


2o6  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Having  indicated  by  means  of  signs  to  the  Indians  that  they  desired 
to  cross  the  river  they  learned  that  this  cotild  not  be  done,  except  by 
going  farther  up  stream.  This  they  did  and  succeeded  in  crossing,  al- 
though with  much  difficulty,  and  only  in  one  place  which  the  Indians 
showed  them,  traveling  on  across  this  wide  plain  in  which  no  hills  were 
to  be  seen  in  any  direction,  but  which  stretched  away  on  all  sides  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach,  with  the  sim  rising  and  setting  as  if  they  were 
on  the  high  seas.  Finding  all  this  country  iminhabited,  probably  be- 
cause of  a  lack  of  water  and  wood,  they  encountered  Indians  only  when 
they  drew  near  to  some  river-bed  where  water  and  wood  could  be  had 
and  where  there  was  shelter  under  the  trees  from  the  excessive  heat  which 
was  felt  in  those  immense  plains.  The  Indians  also  prefer  the  river-beds 
because  of  the  abundance  of  fish  which  can  be  obtained  and  because  it 
is  easier  for  them  there  to  kill  the  elk,  which  are  very  plentiful,  and 
which  seem  like  great  herds  of  cattle  feeding  on  the  plains  near  the  rivers 
where  the  grass  is  green.  On  the  other  hand  the  elk  also  seem  to  prefer 
the  pastiirage  near  the  river-beds  because  it  is  easier  for  them  when 
pursued  to  throw  themselves  into  the  river  and  swim  to  the  other  side. 
Though  for  all  that  the  Indians  are  not  lacking  in  tricks  for  catching 
them,  and  so  keep  themselves  provided  with  meat  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  year. 

When  the  Commander  saw  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  continue 
the  exploration  of  the  other  rivers,  or  even  of  this  one  which  he  had 
crossed,  to  find  out  where  it  came  from,  he  contented  himself  with  what 
he  had  done  and  returned  to  the  presidio  and  made  his  report,  adding 
that  he  thought  the  river  came  from  the  great  rush  lakes  (Tulares)  and 
other  waters  which  had  been  found  in  the  hills  back  of  the  Missions  of 
San  Antonio  and  San  Luis  to  the  eastward. 

The  sea  expedition  sailed  directly  to  the  headland  where  they 
expected  to  meet  the  land  expedition,  but  after  waiting  long  after  the 
time  indicated  without  seeing  anything  of  them,  they  explored  the  coast 
and  treated  with  the  Indians  who  lived  in  the  villages  among  the  rushes, 
finding  them  all  friendly,  and  glad  to  offer  their  presents  of  fish  in  return 
for  our  trinkets  and  biscuit.  They  sailed  completely  around  the  round 
bay,  which  is  about  ten  leagues  across,  and  which  is  as  far  as  the  whales 
go.  Here  they  found  the  mouth  of  a  large  river,  which  was  a  quarter  of 
a  league  in  width,  and  near  it  was  a  large  port  which  they  called  "The 
Assumption  of  our  Lady,"  no  less  beautiful  and  protected  than  the  port 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  207 

of  San  Diego.  They  cotil4  see  near  by  the  high  mountains  of  our 
Father  San  Francisco,  and  judging  by  the  latitude  which  they  had 
reached,  seeing  they  had  traveled  toward  the  north  nearly  all  the  way, 
they  judged  that  the  extreme  end  of  the  mountain  range  which  ran  to- 
ward the  west  must  terminate  in  the  Cape  of  Mendocino. 

In  the  exploration  which  they  made  toward  the  west,  they  fotmd 
several  inlets,  and  among  them  one  very  wide  one,  which  was  so  long  that 
they  could  not  see  the  end  of  it.  They  began  to  suspect  it  communi- 
cated with  the  Pacific  at  the  port  called  Bodegas,  in  which  case  all  the 
point  of  land  belonging  to  the  port  called  Pimta  del  Reyes  would  be  an 
island.  They  entered  the  inlet  to  explore  it,  giving  it  the  name  of  ''Our 
Lady  of  Ransom  "  and  after  sailing  a  whole  day  and  a  night  towards  the 
west,  on  the  second  day  they  found  the  end  of  it  and  so  were  convinced 
that  all  this  hidden  inland  sea  (Mediterranean)  had  no  other  communica- 
tion with  the  Pacific  except  through  the  ''throat"  of  land  where  are  the 
Headlands  and  the  presidio,  which,  in  the  widest  place  is  not  more  than 
half  a  league,  and  about  a  league  in  length,  with  strong  currents, 
stretching  directly  east  and  west  and  emptying  out  into  the  bay  called 
the  Headlands  [Farallones]  which  lies  to  the  west  of  the  mouth  of  the 
port  and  is  at  latitude  37°  56',  measuring  from  Point  Reyes.  There 
are  good  anchoring  places  outside  where  vessels  can  anchor  in  order  to 
come  in  with  the  tide.  The  same  is  true  of  the  south  side,  where  is  the 
"Shellfish  Point,"  opposite  Point  Reyes,  though  it  does  not  project  so 
far.  On  this  latter  point  and  near  the  entrance  to  the  throat  of  the 
port,  there  are  large  sand-dunes  which,  from  out  at  sea,  look  like  immense 
white  hills.  At  the  foot  of  these  there  is  good  anchorage  as  the  vessels 
have  anchored  there,  and  the  frigates  have  also  anchored  between  the 
two  peaks  of  the  Headlands,  as  well  as  between  the  northern  promontory 
and  Point  Reyes,  the  latter  being  about  eight  leagues  from  the  port. 

When  the  laimch  had  finished  the  exploration  and  returned  to  the 
port,  both  Commanders  entered  into  a  conference.  When  they  had 
made  a  careful  note  of  all  that  they  had  seen  and  observed,  in  order  to 
give  an  exact  account  to  His  Excellency,  and  taking  into  consideration 
that  it  was  time  to  return  to  San  Bias,  though  no  word  had  been  received 
from  Commander  Rivera  authorizing  the  founding  of  the  Mission  of  our 
Father  San  Francisco,  they  resolved  to  take  the  step  themselves  and 
to  make  the  beginning.     This  they  did  on  the  9th  of  October. 

After  having  blessed  the  site,  set  up  the  Holy  Cross,  and  made  a  * 


2o8  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

procession  in  honor  of  our  Father  San  Francisco,  using  an  image  of  that 
Saint  which  was  carried  on  a  platform  and  afterwards  placed  on  the 
altar,  I  sang  the  first  High  Mass  and  preached,  taking  as  the  theme  the 
Life  of  our  Father  San  Francisco,  our  Patron  Saint.  The  people  of  the 
presidio  were  present,  as  well  as  those  from  the  vessel  and  the  Mission, 
and  they  gave  the  salvos  in  all  the  services. 

These  services  were  not  witnessed  by  any  of  the  gentiles,  because  in 
the  month  of  August  they  all  left  this  peninsula  and  went  in  their  rush 
canoes,  some  to  the  uninhabited  islands  within  the  port,  and  others  to 
the  farther  shores  of  the  strait.  This  sudden  move  was  caused  by  the 
coming  unexpectedly  upon  them  of  their  great  enemies,  the  Salson 
nation.  These  last  live  about  six  leagues  to  the  southeast  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  inlet.  They  began  to  set  fire  to  their  villages  and 
to  kill  and  wound  many  without  our  being  able  to  hinder  them  because 
we  did  not  know  anything  about  it  till  they  had  all  fled  to  the  other 
shore,  and  though  we  did  what  we  could  to  detain  the  last  to  go,  those 
nearest  us,  we  could  not  stop  them. 

This  departure  of  the  natives  was  the  reason  why  the  conversion  of 
any  of  them  was  delayed,  because  we  did  not  see  any  of  them -again  until 
March  of  the  following  year,  1777,  when  little  by  little  they  got  over  the 
fear  of  their  enemies  and  felt  more  confidence  in  us.  They  began  to  come 
to  the  Mission,  attracted  by  presents  and  other  inducements,  until  we 
were  able  to  celebrate  our  first  baptisms  on  St.  John  the  Baptist's 
Day  and  from  then  on  the  nimiber  of  Christians  slowly  increased,  until 
our  Venerable  Father  came  to  find  here,  before  he  died,  three  hundred 
and  ninety-four  baptized.  The  work  of  teaching  the  catechism  has 
continued  steadily. 

The  natives  of  this  place  and  port  are  somewhat  dark  as  they  are 
much  burned  by  the  sun,  while  those  who  have  come  across  the  bay  to 
live  among  us  and  who  have  become  baptized  are  whiter  and  are  more 
robust.  All  of  them,  men  and  women,  have  the  habit  of  cutting  the 
hair  frequently,  especially  when  some  relative  dies,  or  they  have  some 
other  sorrow,  and  in  this  case  they  put  handfuls  of  ashes  on  their  heads, 
on  their  faces  and  other  parts  of  the  body.  Similar  customs  prevail 
among  all  the  tribes  of  the  coast,  though  others  do  not  have  the  custom 
of  cutting  the  hair;  but  rather  in  the  settlements  in  the  South  it  seems 
that  the  men  as  well  as  the  women  are  rather  proud  of  their  long  hair 
which  they  wear  in  long  braids  carefully  combed.    With  these  the  men 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  269 

form  a  sort  of  turban,  which  serves  them  as  a  pocket  in  which  they  keep 
their  beads,  and  other  trinkets  which  are  given  them. 

In  none  of  the  Missions  along  the  whole  two  hundred  leagues  of 
coast,  from  here  to  San  Diego,  are  there  any  traces  of  idolatry,  but  only  l-- 
a  sort  of  negative  infidelity.  There  has  not  been  the  least  difficulty  in 
inculcating  any  of  the  Mysteries.  We  have  only  found  among  the  people 
some  superstitions  and  foolish  observances,  and  among  the  old  people 
some  idle  tales  such  as  their  saying  they  can  make  it  rain,  that  they  » 
cause  the  acorn  to  grow,  etc.,  or  that  they  cause  the  whales  to  come  to  the 
coast,  or  the  fish,  and  so  on.  But  the  people  are  easily  convinced,  and 
these  liars  are  rejected  by  the  pagans  themselves  as  falsifiers  whose  only 
ptu-pose  is  their  personal  interest.  Whenever  one  of  them  is  taken  sick, 
he  attributes  it  to  some  Indian  enemy  who  wishes  to  do  him  harm. 
They  bum  the  bodies  of  those  who  die  pagan,  in  spite  of  our  efforts  to 
stop  the  custom.  It  is  not  so  in  the  South,  where  they  bury  the  dead, 
and  in  many  of  the  villages,  principally  along  the  Santa  Barbara  Chan- 
nel, they  have  their  enclosed  cemeteries  for  the  burial  of  their  dead. 

The  Indians  of  this  locality  live  on  the  grass  seeds  of  the  fields,  the 
labor  of  gathering  them  in  season  being  relegated  to  the  women,  who 
grind  and  make  the  floiur  for  the  porridge.  Among  their  seeds  they 
have  a  black  kind  from  the  flour  of  which  they  make  a  tamal^  in  the  shape 
of  a  ball  the  size  of  an  orange.  These  are  very  savory  and  taste  like 
toasted  almonds,  but  are  very  greasy.  They  find  the  fish  very  helpful 
in  supplying  a  sufficiency  of  food  as  there  are  several  species  which  they 
catch  in  both  the  inland  and  the  outer  sea.  These  are  very  wholesome 
and  delicious.  They  also  use  the  shellfish  which  are  never  lacking  and 
are  also  of  several  kinds.  Then  there  is  the  hunting  of  deer,  rabbits, 
wild  geese,  ducks,  partridges  and  thrushes.  They  always  improve  the 
occasion  when  a  whale  is  stranded  on  the  shore,  and  celebrate  the  event 
with  a  great  feast,  as  they  are  very  fond  of  the  meat,  which  is  just  pure 
fat.  They  cut  it  into  strips  which  they  roast  under  groimd,  and  they 
also  hang  it  up  on  the  trees,  and  whoever  they  wish  to  eat,  they  cut  off 
a  piece  and  eat  it  with  their  other  food.  They  do  the  same  with  the 
sea  lion,  of  which  they  are  no  less  fond,  as  it  is  also  nearly  all  pure  fat. 

They  also  have  acorns  which  they  grind  and  make  into  mush  or  ' 
balls.    There  are  also  to  be  had  in  the  mountains  and  ravines  a  kind 
of  hazel  nut  just  like  those  of  Spain,  and  on  the  hills  and  sand-dtmes  are 
strawberries  which  are  very  delicious  and  much  larger  than  those  we 


2IO  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

have  in  Spain.  These  ripen  in  May  and  June,  as  do  also  the  mulberries 
and  blackberries.  There  is  to  be  found  in  all  the  hills  a  great  abundance 
of  soap-root  (amole)  which  is  about  the  size  of  an  onion,  of  a  long,  round 
head.  These  are  baked  in  holes  in  the  ground,  where  the  fire  is  kept 
burning  for  two  or  three  days  until  they  know  they  are  very  well  baked. 
Then  they  take  them  out  and  eat  them,  finding  them  sweet  and  juicy  like 
preserved  fruit.  There  is  another  kind  of  amole  which  they  do  not 
eat  as  it  is  not  sweet,  but  which  serves  them  as  a  soap,  which  lathers 
well  and  which  will  take  out  spots  just  like  castile  soap. 

Although  the  pagans  do  not  have  any  need  for  this,  as  they  wear  no 
other  clothing  than  nature  has  given  them,  and  present  themselves  like 
little  Adams  without  the  least  sign  of  shame  (that  is,  the  men),  in  order 
to  protect  themselves  from  the  cold,  which  is  keenly  felt  here  in  this 
Mission  all  the  year  round,  especially  in  the  mornings,  they  smear  them- 
selves over  with  mud,  as  they  have  the  idea  it  protects  them  from  the 
cold,  and  as  soon  as  the  sun  begins  to  warm  up,  they  wash  themselves. 
The  women  dress  with  some  degree  of  modesty  and  even  the  small  girls 
are  covered.  They  use  for  this  purpose  aprons  which  they  make  of  the 
fibers  of  the  rush  or  sedge.  These  do  not  extend  below  the  knee,  and 
another  is  tied  behind  at  the  belt  so  that  the  two  form  a  sort  of  skirt 
which  makes  them  decently  presentable,  as  they  put  on  another  of  a 
similar  sort  over  the  shoulders  to  protect  them  from  the  cold. 

They  have  their  marriages,  but  with  no  more  ceremony  than  a 
mutual  agreement  which  lasts  until  they  qtiarrel  or  separate,  taking  up 
again  with  another  man  or  another  woman,  the  children  usually  follow- 
ing the  mother.  They  have  no  other  expression  for  announcing  the 
dissolution  of  the  marriage  than  simply  saying:  "I  threw  him  over," 
or,  "I  threw  her  over."  Notwithstanding,  there  are  married  couples, 
both  old  and  young,  which  live  together  very  unitedly  and  in  great 
peace,  tenderly  loving  their  children  and  being  beloved  of  them.  They 
do  not  pay  any  attention  to  relationship  in  marriage,  but  rather,  the 
tendency  is  to  take  to  wife  all  the  sisters  of  the  first  wife  and  even  the 
mother-in-law,  and  so  it  is  the  common  thing  to  be  understood  that 
when  a  man  takes  a  woman,  he  has  all  her  sisters  too,  so  they  live  in 
polygamy,  having  many  wives,  without  there  appearing  to  be  any  sign  of 
jealousy  among  them.  As  a  rule  the  children  of  the  younger  sisters 
who  may  be  the  second  or  third  wives  are  looked  upon  with  just  as  much 
affection  as  one's  own,  and  all  live  together  in  one  house. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  211 

We  have  had  occasion  to  baptize  in  this  Mission  three  children  bom 
all  of  them  within  two  months  of  one  another,  sons  of  the  same  pagan 
man  and  of  three  sisters  who  were  his  wives.  Besides  this  he  had  to  wife 
his  mother-in-law.  But  God  willed  that  this  man  should  be  converted 
as  well  as  his  four  wives,  so  that  he  put  them  all  away  except  the  oldest 
of  the  sisters  who  had  been  his  first  wife,  while  the  others  who  had  been 
baptized,  were  married  to  other  converted  young  men  according  to  our 
Roman  Ritual.  With  the  help  of  this  example,  and  with  constant 
preaching  and  explanation,  they  are  beginning  to  give  up  their  plural 
wives  and  subject  themselves  to  the  Holy  Catholic  Faith.  All  those 
thus  converted  come  to  live  in  the  Mission  (town)  within  the  sound  of 
the  bell,  attending  twice  a  day  in  the  church,  the  recital  of  the  Christian 
Doctrine,  maintaining  themselves  in  community  from  the  harvests  of 
wheat,  com,  beans,  etc.  We  have  already  harvests  from  our  fruits 
such  as  peaches,  apricots,  pomegranates,  brought  out  from  Spain  at  the 
first  and  planted  here.  All  those  of  the  commimity  are  dressed  from 
clothing  which  the  Fathers  have  had  sent  out  from  Mexico  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  Sindico  and  as  gifts  from  private  benefactions.  It  is  worthy 
of  notice,  that  while  before  baptism,  they  had  no  sense  at  all  of  shame, 
these  feelings  are  immediately  dominant  in  them  as  soon  as  baptism  is 
received,  so  that  if  it  is  necessary  to  change  the  clothing  because  they  have 
outgrown  them,  they  hide  themselves  nor  will  they  show  themselves 
naked  before  any  one,  and  much  less  before  the  Fathers.  All  I  have 
here  observed  concerning  the  natives  of  this  port  and  its  vicinity  is  true 
of  the  people  of  the  other  Missions,  with  but  very  little  difference,  though 
the  languages  are  quite  distinct. 


212  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XLVI 

i     Founding  of  the  Mission  of  Santa  Clara. 

WHEN  the  Commander  Don  Fernando  Rivera  received  the  letter 
from  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  in  the  month  of  September  of 
the  year  1776,  in  which  it  was  taken  for  granted  that  he  had  already 
founded  the  two  Missions  of  the  port  of  San  Francisco,  our  Father,  al- 
though he  had  not  only  not  taken  a  single  step  in  that  direction  but  had 
detained  at  his  side  the  soldiers  which  belonged  rightfully  to  them,  he 
was  quite  concerned,  and  immediately  set  out  with  the  soldiers  with  the 
intention  of  carrying  out  the  orders  for  the  founding  of  the  Missions. 
When  he  reached  Monterey  he  heard  that  the  Mission  of  our  Father 
San  Francisco  was  already  founded.  In  order  to  help  in  the  founding 
of  the  other,  he  came,  with  the  Father  Fr.  Tomds  de  la  Pefia,  one  of  the 
Missionaries  assigned  to  it,  to  explore  the  region  of  the  large  plains  called 
San  Bernardino  and  came  on  across  them  till  they  reached  the  extreme 
point  of  the  arm  of  the  inland  sea  of  the  port  of  San  Francisco,  which 
extends  to  the  southeast. 

Here  they  found  a  large  river  with  plenty  of  water,  about  three 
leagues  from  the  head  of  the  inlet,  or  arm  of  the  sea,  into  which  the  river 
empties,  and  in  the  neighborhood  they  found  several  springs  of  water 
which  could  be  made  to  serve  for  irrigating  a  good  part  of  the  fine  lands 
of  the  plain,  all  of  them  populated  with  the  villages  of  the  gentiles,  as 
well  as  with  groves  of  giant  oaks.  It  seemed  to  both  the  Commander 
and  to  Father  Pefia  that  the  location  was  a  very  desirable  one  for  a 
large  mission.  With  this  good  news  they  came  on  to  this  Mission  of 
Our  Father  [San  Francisco],  where  they  arrived  on  the  2  6th  of  November. 
When  it  had  been  agreed  upon  that  in  the  spot  described  the  Mission 
was  to  be  founded,  Father  Fr.  Tomas  remained  with  us  while  the  Com- 
mander went  on  to  visit  the  new  presidio,  which  he  had  not  seen,  and 
from  there,  on  the  30th  of  November,  he  returned  to  Monterey  in  order 
to  send  on  the  troops,  with  whom  was  to  come  the  Father  Fr.  Joseph 
Murguia,  bringing  the  equipment  which  belonged  to  the  Mission  and 
which  had  been  left  at  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  213 

On  the  last  days  of  December  the  troops  arrived,  with  their  families, 
and  Father  Fr.  Tomds  started  out  with  the  Lieutenant-Commander  of 
the  presidio  and  the  other  people  in  order  to  take  part  in  the  founding 
of  the  Mission  on  the  6th  of  January  of  the  year  1777.  On  arriving 
at  the  spot  which  the  explorers  had  chosen,  and  which  is  fifteen  leagues 
distant  from  this  Mission  [San  Francisco],  to  the  southeast,  they  made 
there  a  Cross,  which,  when  it  had  been  blessed,  they  set  up  and  vener- 
ated, and  then,  under  a  shelter  of  boughs.  Father  Peiia  said  the  first  * 
Mass  on  the  12th  of  January.  A  few  days  later  his  companion  arrived, 
bringing  with  him  the  equipment  for  the  Mission. 

Very  shortly  the  pagan  people  began  to  visit  them  and  make  them 
presents.  By  the  month  of  May  of  the  same  year  the  first  baptisms 
took  place,  for  as  there  had  come  upon  the  people  a  great  epidemic,  the 
Fathers  were  able  to  perform  a  great  many  baptisms  by  simply  going 
through  the  villages.  In  this  way  they  succeeded  in  sending  a  great 
many  children  (which  died  almost  as  soon  as  they  were  baptized)  to 
Heaven  as  the  first  fruits  that  they  might  ask  of  God  the  conversion  of 
their  relatives  and  tribesmen.  This  latter  work  is  now  being  accom- 
plished and  many  are  being  saved.  Our  President,  before  he  died,  saw  ^ 
here  in  this  Mission  alone  six  hundred  and  sixty-nine.  The  work  of 
teaching  the  catechism  has  gone  on  without  interruption  and  the  nimi- 
ber  of  Christians  has  steadily  increased. 

This  Mission,  we  may  say,  occupies  the  best  site  of  any  of  the  ac-  * 
quired  territory,  as  it  was  founded  in  the  great  plains  of  San  Bernardino, 
which  extend  for  more  than  thirty  leagues  and  are  from  one  to  three, 
four  and  five  leagues  wide.  It  has  splendid  lands  for  planting,  and 
harvests  fine  crops  of  wheat  and  com,  as  well  as  all  sorts  of  vegetables, 
not  only  for  the  maintenance  of  the  converts,  but  there  is  a  surplus  to 
give  to  the  pagans  in  order  to  attract  them  to  the  fold  of  the  Holy 
Church,  and  also  to  provide  the  troops  at  the  presidio  in  return  for 
cloth  with  which  to  clothe  the  converts.  There  is  an  abundance  of 
water,  not  only  from  the  river  of  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe,  which  is 
about  a  quarter  of  a  league  from  the  Mission,  from  which,  in  the  sum- 
mer time,  fine  trout  can  be  obtained.  I  have  seen  one  weighing  four 
pounds.  I  ate  of  it  and  it  tasted  like  salmon-trout,  very  delicious.  Be- 
sides the  abundance  of  water  in  the  river,  there  are  several  springs  which 
fill  the  ditches  made  to  carry  the  water  to  the  fields  for  irrigation.  A 
goodly  supply  of  fruit  has  been  obtained  from  as  many  of  the  seeds  as 


214  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

were  brought  from  Spain  and  were  planted,  as  all  the  pits  and  seeds 
which  were  brought  out  at  the  first  have  thrived,  even  the  grape. 

This  wide  plain  has  many  bunches  of  groves  or  forests  of  oak  which 
have  abundant  acorns  and  which  the  natives  eat,  mixing  them  with  the 
grass-seeds  from  the  field,  as  we  have  described  in  connection  with  the 
people  of  the  Mission  of  San  Francisco.  They  also  bring  in  the  hazel 
nuts  from  the  hills  to  the  west,  about  three  leagues  distant  from  the 
Mission,  but  they  do  not  have  there  the  strawberries  nor  the  shellfish 
and  mussels,  as  they  are  too  far  from  the  beach.  Neither  do  they  have 
any  other  fish  than  the  trout,  and  these  are  not  abundant.  The  natives 
are  of  the  same  language  as  those  of  the  Port,  with  one  or  two  very  slight 
differences.  They  also  have  the  same  customs,  as  they  are  only  fifteen 
leagues  distant  and  twenty-six  leagues  from  Monterey,  and  only  two 
leagues  from  the  upper  end  of  the  inlet.  To  the  westward  the  Pacific 
Ocean  is  twelve  leagues  away,  over  the  mountains,  which  are  all  popu- 
lated with  Indians,  while  down  on  the  coast,  in  front  of  this  Mission,  will 
be  found  the  New  Year's  Point  [Punta  de  Anos  Nueva]  which,  together 
with  that  of  the  Point  of  the  Pines  [  Point  Pinos],  forms  the  great  bay  of 
the  port  of  Monterey. 

The  plains  of  San  Bernardino  are  well  inhabited  with  the  villages  of 
the  gentiles,  and  many  of  them  attend  the  Mission  of  Santa  Clara,  both 
men  and  women,  especially  in  the  time  of  the  harvests,  because  there  is 
plenty  to  eat  and  to  carry  back  to  their  villages.  On  one  of  these 
occasions  the  Father  Missionaries  of  the  Mission  noticed  that  among  the 
gentile  women  (who  always  worked  separately  and  without  mixing  with 
the  men)  there  was  one  who,  by  the  dress,  which  was  decorously  worn, 
and  by  the  heathen  headdress  and  ornaments  displayed,  as  well  as  in  the 
manner  of  working,  of  sitting,  etc.,  had  all  the  appearances  of  a  woman, 
but  judging  by  the  face  and  the  absence  of  breasts,  though  old  enough 
for  that,  they  concluded  he  must  be  a  man,  so  they  asked  some  of  the 
converts.  They  said  that  it  was  a  man,  but  that  he  passed  himself  off 
always  for  a  woman  and  always  went  with  them  and  not  with  the  men, 
and  that  it  was  not  good  that  he  should  be  found  there. 

As  the  Fathers  judged  there  was  some  trickery  about  it  they  decided 
to  investigate.  Making  use  of  the  corporal  of  the  guard  and  charging 
him  that  he  should  keep  his  eye  on  the  individual,  and  on  some  pretext 
or  other  take  him  into  the  guard-house,  and  if  they  found  that  he  was  a 
man  to  take  off  his  woman's  clothing  and  to  leave  him  with  the  gentile 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  215 

clothing,  whjch  is  the  same  as  that  which  Adam  had  in  the  garden  before 
he  sinned.  This  the  corporal  did  and  on  taking  off  his  aprons  they 
found  that  he  was  more  ashamed  than  if  he  really  had  been  a  woman. 
They  kept  him  there  three  days,  making  him  sweep  the  plaza,  but  giving 
him  plenty  to  eat.  But  he  remained  very  cast  down  and  ashamed. 
After  he  had  been  warned  that  it  was  not  right  for  him  to  go  about 
dressed  as  a  woman  and  much  less  thrust  himself  in  with  them,  as  it  was 
presumed  that  he  was  sinning  with  them,  they  let  him  go.  He  immedi- 
ately left  the  Mission  and  never  came  back  to  it,  but  from  the  converts 
it  was  learned  that  he  was  still  in  the  villages  of  the  gentiles  and  going 
about  as  before,  dressed  as  a  woman.  But  it  was  impossible  to  find  out 
what  the  reason  for  it  was,  as  the  only  thing  that  could  be  gotten  out  of 
the  neophytes  was  that  it  was  not  good  to  do  that. 

But  in  the  Mission  of  San  Antonio  the  whole  facts  were  obtained. 
The  Fathers  were  advised  one  day  that  two  of  the  gentiles  had  gone  into 
one  of  the  houses,  one  of  them  having  the  dress  of  a  woman,  and  the 
other  in  the  way  the  men  always  go  about.  They  used  the  expression, 
to  describe  the  one  dressed  as  a  woman,  of  Coia  (this  is  the  pronunciation 
of  the  Indian  word).  The  Father  Missionary  with  the  corporal  and  a 
soldier  went  immediately  to  the  house  to  see  what  they  were  looking  for, 
and  they  found  them  in  the  act  of  defiling  themselves  one  with  the  other. 
They  punished  them  both,  though  not  as  severely  as  they  deserved,  and 
tried  to  show  them  what  an  ugly  sin  they  were  committing.  The  gentjle 
replied  that  the  other  man  was  his  Coia,  or  his  wife.  After  the  punish- 
ment they  received,  they  were  not  seen  again  in  the  Mission,  nor  in  any 
place  near  by,  nor  have  any  such  execrable  people  been  found  since  in 
any  of  the  Missions.  Only  they  say  that  in  the  stretch  of  land  along  the 
Channel  of  Santa  Barbara  there  are  to  be  found  many  Coias,  and  that  it 
is  rarely  you  can  find  a  village  where  there  are  not  two  or  three.  But  we 
trust  in  God  that  as  the  country  is  gradually  being  filled  with  the  Mis- 
sions, these  detestable  people  will  be  eradicated  and  that  this  most 
abominable  of  vices  will  be  exterminated,  and  in  its  stead  will  be  planted 
the  Catholic  faith,  and  with  it  all  the  other  virtues,  for  the  greater  glory 
of  God  and  for  the  better  welfare  of  these  poor  degraded  people. 


2i6  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XLVII 

The  Venerable  Father  Visits  the  Missions  of  the  North  and  Founds  a  Town 

of  Spaniards. 

WE  have  related  in  Chapter  XLIII  how  when  the  Venerable  Father 
President  arrived  at  his  Mission  of  San  Carlos  in  the  month  of 
January,  1777,  he  heard  the  good  news  of  the  founding  of  these,  the  two 
most  northerly  Missions  and  the  port  of  our  Father  San  Francisco. 
He  immediately  wished  to  visit  them,  seeing  that  he  had  not  been  able 
to  be  present  at  their  fotmding,  but  he  was  delayed  in  this  matter  by  the 
news  that  the  Governor,  Don  Felipe  Neve,  was  coming  up  to  establish 

•  his  residence  in  the  presidio  of  Monterey,  where  indeed  he  arrived  on 
the  3d  of  February,  1777.  Owing  to  this  and  the  necessity  of  treating 
with  him  concerning  the  business  of  the  Spiritual  Conquest  in  which  it 
was  necessary  to  compare  the  orders  which  each  had  received  from 
His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  for  its  development,  he  found  it  necessary 
to  remain  in  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos  until  this  officer  had  concluded 
his  visit  and  had  himself  come  up  to  the  presidio  of  San  Francisco, 
which  he  did  in  the  latter  part  of  April. 

On  his  rettun  from  this  visit  they  were  both  agreed  as  to  the  impor- 

*  tance  of  the  founding  of  the  three  Missions  in  the  Channel  of  Santa 
Barbara  for  the  subjection  of  that  large  body  of  pagans,  as  well  as 
for  the  populating  of  the  region,  in  order  to  assure  the  means  of  com- 
munication through  this  country  between  the  settlements  of  the  North 
and  the  South.  When  they  had  come  to  an  agreement  they  both  con- 
sulted His  Excellency  by  letter  in  June  of  1777,  which  was  sent  by  the 
frigate  which  had  brought  out  provisions  and  docimients  and  which  was 
returning  to  San  Bias. 

When  these  important  official  matters  had  been  properly  attended  to 
without  having  neglected  at  any  time  his  Apostolic  ministry  of  catechiz- 
ing and  baptizing  the  gentiles  and  instructing  the  converts,  a  work  in 
which  he  was  constantly  employed  while  residing  in  the  Mission,  and 
as  soon  as  he  found  himself  at  liberty  to  make  the  visit,  he  came  to  the 
Mission  of  Santa  Clara,  where  he  arrived  on  the  28th  of  September. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  217 

The  next  day,  being  a  Feast  Day  in  honor  of  the  Prince  and  Archangel 
St.  Michael,  he  sang  Mass  and  preached  a  sermon.  He  remained  an- 
other day,  in  which  he  rested  somewhat,  and  then  went  on  to  this  last 
Mission  of  Our  Father  [San  Francisco],  arriving  on  the  ist  of  October. 
As  it  is  a  day's  journey  of  fifteen  leagues,  which  he  covered  only  by 
traveling  until  into  the  night,  he  arrived  here  very  much  fatigued. 

He  was  with  us  at  the  celebration  of  Our  Holy  Father  San  Francisco, 
Patron  of  the  Mission,  helping  in  the  special  solemn  services  both  in 
the  presidio  and  port.  He  sang  High  Mass  and  preached  the  sermon, 
greatly  to  the  delight  of  all,  both  Missionaries  (of  whom  there  were  four 
of  us)  as  well  as  of  the  troops  of  the  Mission  and  of  the  presidio,  the  latter 
having  come  over  to  join  us.  His  presence  was  also  a  source  of  joy  to 
the  new  Christians  who  already  numbered  seventeen,  all  of  them 
adults. 

He  remained  in  this  Mission  until  the  loth  of  October,  during  which 
time  he  rested  from  his  long  journey  of  forty-two  leagues.  He  went  to 
see  the  new  presidio  and  also  the  port,  which  he  had  never  seen,  and 
arriving  at  the  headland  and  noticing  that  it  was  impossible  to  go  farther 
without  the  aid  of  a  ship,  he  burst  forth  with  the  following  expression  of 
thanksgiving  (one  which  was  frequently  on  his  lips):  "Our  Father  > 
San  Francisco  has  now  conducted  this  procession  of  Missions,  headed 
by  the  Holy  Cross,  until  he  has  arrived  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  conti- 
nent of  California,  for  to  go  further  it  is  necessary  to  do  so  by  ship." 

When  the  Venerable  Father  President  made  this  first  visit  to  this 
Mission,  there  were  in  New  California  only  eight  Missions,  with  great 
stretches  between  them,  so  that  our  earnest  Father  was  accustomed  to 
say:     "This  procession  of  Missions  is  very  incomplete,  and  it  is  neces-* 
sary  that  it  should  be  made  more  sightly  in  the  eyes  of  God  and  men 
by  filling  in  the  breaks.     I  have  already  asked  for  the  founding  of  three  i 
Missions  in  the  Channel  of  Santa  Barbara.     Help  me  to  ask  God  to 
give  us  these  and  afterward  we  will  work  to  fill  up  the  other  empty 
spaces."     From  this  it  can  be  seen  that  it  was  the  most  ardent  desire  of 
the  Venerable  Prelate  that  all  the  pagan  people  which  populate  two  I 
hundred  and  ten  leagues  of  coast  should  be  converted,  and  that  through 
the  sustaining  of  the  Missions  at  the  proper  distances  they  should  all 
come  to  fall  into  the  Apostolic  net,  if  not  in  one  Mission,  then  in  an- 
other, so  that  in  this  way  the  children  of  God  and  the  Holy  Church 
should  be  greatly  increased.     It  was  with  these  fervent  and  ardent 


2i8  FRANCISCO  PALOWS  LIFE  OF 

desires  that  he  left  our  Mission,  went  on  to  that  of  Santa  Clara,  where 
he  rested  a  couple  of  days  and  then  returned  to  his  Mission  at  San 
Carlos. 

FOUNDING  OF  A  TOWN  OF  SPANIARDS  CALLED  SAN  J0S6  DE  GUADALUPE 
(saint  JOSEPH  OF  GUADALUPE) 

In  order  properly  to  develop  and  establish  this  Spiritual  Conquest 
His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  had  charged  the  new  Governor,  Don 

,  Felipe  de  Neve,  to  attempt  the  occupying  of  the  land  with  some  colonies 
of  Spanish  people,  who  would  give  themselves  to  the  labor  of  the  fields 
and  to  the  breeding  of  cattle  and  other  animals  in  order  that  they  might 
serve  as  a  sort  of  guarantee  for  the  stability  of  these  new  possessions. 
Having  in  mind  these  orders  from  his  superior  and  having  observed, 
during  his  visit  to  the  royal  presidio  of  this  port,  the  immense  plain  in 
which  is  situated  the  Mission  of  Santa  Clara  and  the  unlimited  amount 
of  land  which  could  be  irrigated  with  the  abundance  of  water  from  the 
river  called  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe,  he  called  together  the  colonists 
who  had  come  with  the  expedition  from  Sonora,  and  adding  to  it  others, 
he  assigned  them  lands  which  were  distributed  so  as  to  form  a  town  under 
the  name  of  San  Jos6  of  Guadalupe,  the  place  selected  being  a  little 
above  the  Santa  Clara  Mission  but  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  (which 
is  also  called  Guadalupe)  about  three-quarters  of  a  league  distant. 

On  this  site  the  colonists  formed  their  town,  beginning  it  in  the 

*  first  part  of  November  of  the  year  1777.  To  the  nimiber  others  have 
since  been  added,  and  a  government  has  been  established  by  the  election 
of  an  alcalde,  the  whole  government  being  subject  to  the  Governor  of  the 
Province  and  defended  by  an  escort  of  three  soldiers  and  a  corporal. 
They  all  come  to  the  Mission  to  hear  Mass.  They  support  themselves 
very  well  from  their  harvests  of  wheat,  com  and  beans,  and  with  what 
they  have  left  over  and  which  they  sell  to  the  troop  they  provide  them- 
selves with  clothing.  They  also  have  plenty  of  cattle  and  herds  of  sheep 
and  goats  and  from  the  herds  of  mares  they  provide  horses  for  the 
soldiers. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  219 


CHAPTER  XLVIII 

The  Venerable  Father  Juniper 0  is  Granted  the  Apostolic  Faculty  to  Confirm. 

He  Exercises  It  in  His  Own  Mission  and  Sets  Out  for  the 

Missions  in  the  South  to  Do  the  Same  There. 

WHEN  the  Venerable  Father  President,  Fr.  Junipero,  arrived  in 
California  with  his  fifteen  companions  in  the  year  1768,  as  has  I 
been  told  in  Chapter  XIII,  on  taking  possession  of  those  Missions 
which  the  Fathers  of  the  Company  of  Jesus  [the  Jesuits]  had  adminis- 
tered, and  on  receiving  the  statements  of  their  work,  he  found  among 
these  documents  which  the  Fathers  delivered  to  him  the  concession 
which  Our  Most  Holy  Father,  Pope  Benedict  XIV,  had  given  them, 
granting  the  power  to  Confirm,  in  view  of  the  great  difficulty  in  having 
any  Bishop  cross  over  into  California  for  this  purpose.  As  our  Vener- 
able Prelate  considered  that  the  same  difficulty  obtained  here,  he  keenly 
felt  the  need  of  doing  something  to  prevent  the  converts  from  being 
deprived  of  this  great  benefit  and  that  it  was  his  duty  to  secure,  if  possi- 
ble, the  granting  of  the  same  concession.  He  therefore  wrote  to  the 
Reverend  Father  Guardian,  sending  to  him  the  bull  of  Pope  Benedict, 
in  order  that  through  the  agency  of  the  Reverend  Father  Prefect  of 
Missions,  the  Apostolic  See  should  be  asked  to  grant  the  same  conces- 
sion, presenting  in  behalf  of  this  the  same  reason  which  the  Jesuit 
Fathers  had  adduced. 

It  may  be  that  some  one  will  say  that  the  Reverend  Father  Junipero 
asked  for  this  faculty,  which  is  the  peculiar  and  ordinary  right  of  the 
Bishops,  because  he  wished  to  obtain  that  high  and  honorable  episcopal 
dignity.  But  in  truth,  instead  of  wishing  for  it  or  desiring  it  as  a  per- 
sonal honor,  his  profound  humility  and  most  earnest  desire  to  work  in 
the  Vineyard  of  the  Lord  had  really  forced  him  to  use  measures  which 
had  carried  him  quite  away  from  such  honors.  When  his  Reverence  had 
been  told,  after  the  Conquest  and  establishment  of  the  Mission  in 
Monterey,  that  a  courtier  of  the  Palace  of  Madrid  had  written  a  letter 
to  the  then  Reverend  Guardian  of  our  College,  the  Reverend  Father 
Verger,  now  Bishop  of  Nuevo  Leon,  saying  that  a  great  honor  wets  about 


220  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

to  be  conferred  upon  the  Reverend  Father  Junfpero,  his  Reverence,  as  soon 
as  he  heard  this  word,  fearing  that  he  might  possibly  lose  before  God  the 
reward  for  which  he  had  labored  so  hard  in  this  Spiritual  Conquest  in 
exchange  for  the  worldly  recompense  of  this  outward  honor  which  had 
been  prognosticated  as  coming  to  him,  immediately  made  it  his  purpose 
(I  was  going  to  say,  made  a  vow,  as  perhaps  that  is  what  he  did,  for  he 
did  not  explain  the  matter  to  me  very  clearly)  not  to  accept  any  office 
(at  least,  while  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  liberty)  which  would  hinder  him 
in  any  way  from  going  on  with  his  Apostolic  Ministry,  living  among 
the  gentiles  and  of  shedding  his  blood,  if  such  were  the  will  of  God,  in 
order  to  bring  about  their  conversion. 

The  himible  Father  was  not  satisfied  even  with  this,  but  he  tried  by 
all  the  means  in  his  power  to  prevent  the  realization  of  that  which  he 
feared  and  this  he  did,  in  view  of  his  spirit  of  caution,  by  not  writing  to 
any  one  who  might  have  had  to  do  with  the  securing  of  such  an  honor 
and  dignity.  After  the  exploration  and  settlement  of  the  ports  of  San 
Diego  and  Monterey  he  received  a  letter  from  Madrid  from  a  person  of 
rank  in  the  Court,  whom  he  had  never  known  nor  heard  of  before,  but 
who  wrote  to  him  saying:  "That  he  was  very  sure  that  his  Reverence 
was  very  highly  accredited  to  the  King  and  his  Royal  Coimcil;  that  he 
should  like  to  know  if  there  was  anything  he  would  like  to  have  done; 
that  he  was  ready  to  serve  him  if  his  Reverence  wished  to  avail  himself 
of  his  services  and  that  he  would  be  his  faithful  agent."  His  Reverence 
read  the  letter  and  not  failing  to  interpret  the  insinuation  it  contained 
he  replied  that  he  could  best  serve  him  as  censor j  but  not  as  agent. 

From  this  it  can  plainly  be  seen  that  the  Reverend  Father  Junipero 
did  not  desire  any  of  the  dignities  and  great  honors  which  the  courtier 
had  prophesied  for  him,  but  that  he  did  desire  with  all  his  heart  that  the 
right  to  confirm  might  be  granted,  not  necessarily  for  himself,  but  for 
any  one  of  the  Missionaries,  in  order  that  going  about  among  the  Mis- 
sions he  might  confirm  the  converts  and  so  they  would  no  longer  be 
deprived  of  this  great  spiritual  benefit  which  comes  from  the  receiving 
of  this  Sacred  Sacrament. 

The  petition  was  given  course  in  the  Roman  Curia  by  the  Reverend 
Father  Prefect,  and  His  Holiness,  Our  Most  Holy  Father,  Pope  Clement 
XIV,  deigned  to  grant  the  concession  on  the  i6th  day  of  July,  1774,  for 
a  period  of  ten  years,  to  the  Reverend  Father  Prefect  of  Missions,  and 
to  one  of  the  friars  in  each  one  of  the  four  Colleges,  the  same  to  be  named 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  221 

by  the  Father  Prefect.  This  concession  having  been  granted,  it  was 
presented  to  the  Royal  Council  of  Madrid  and  there  ratified,  and  then 
passed  on  to  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy,  and  the  royal  audiencia  in 
Mexico  City.  From  them  it  came  to  the  hands  of  the  Reverend  Father 
Prefect  who  appointed  as  representative  of  the  Missions  of  the  College  of 
San  Fernando,  the  Reverend  Fr.  Jumpero  Serra,  President  of  these 
Missions  and  his  successor,  the  same  being  authorized  by  seal  and 
countersign  from  the  Secretaryship  of  the  College,  on  the  17th  of 
October,  1777.  The  document  arrived  in  the  hands  of  his  Reverence  the 
latter  part  of  June,  1778. 

As  soon  as  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  received  this  Patent, 
giving  him  the  Apostolic  faculty  to  Confirm,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  made 
himself  familiar  with  the  instructions  of  the  Sacred  Congregation  for  its 
use,  he  immediately  proceeded  to  put  it  into  effect  and  so,  on  the  first 
holy  day  after  its  receipt,  which  was  the  day  of  the  Holy  Apostles  St. 
Peter  and  St.  Paul,  after  having  sung  High  Mass  and  pronounced  a  fer- 
vent sermon  on  the  theme  of  the  Holy  Sacrament  of  Confirmation,  he 
made  beginning  in  his  own  Mission  of  San  Carlos  by  confirming  the 
children  whom  he  had  been  preparing,  while  instructing  and  preparing 
the  adults  for  the  same.  In  this  exercise  and  in  the  confirming  of  those 
who  were  ready  he  was  busy  until  the  25th  of  August,  when  he  embarked 
on  the  frigate  which  had  brought  out  the  letters  and  provisions,  and  he 
went  down  to  San  Diego  in  order  to  accomplish  the  same  thing  in  that 
Mission  and  in  the  other  Missions  of  the  South. 

He  arrived  in  San  Diego  on  the  15th  of  September,  after  twenty- 
three  days'  sail,  which  was  longer  than  usual,  on  account  of  contrary 
winds.  He  remained  at  the  Mission  of  San  Diego  until  the  8th  of  Octo- 
ber, confirming  in  the  meantime  the  converted  Indians  and  the  children 
of  the  troopers,  who  had  not  received  this  Sacrament.  When  this  was 
done  he  started  northward,  going  from  Mission  to  Mission  and  perform- 
ing the  same  service,  arriving  on  the  5th  of  January,  1779,  at  his  own 
Mission  of  San  Carlos,  loaded  down  with  good  works  and  many  labors, 
which  had  made  him  suffer  more  than  usual  on  the  long  journey  on 
account  of  the  incurable  malady  in  his  foot  from  which  he  had  felt  no 
alleviation. 


222  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  XLIX 

He  Continues  Confirming  in  His  Own  Mission.     He  Receives  Word  of 
the  New  Mexican  Government.     He  Comes  to  Visit  and  to  Con- 
firm in  These  Missions  of  the  North,  Where  He  Received 
Word  of  the  Death  of  the  Viceroy ,  Bucareli. 

THE  Venerable  Father  Serra's  return  to  his  Mission  of  San  Carlos, 
which  ought  to  have  served  him  as  a  place  of  rest,  was  always  a 
stimulus  to  greater  Apostolic  activity,  for  he  immediately  took  up  the 
task  of  instructing  the  gentiles,  and  as  soon  as  they  were  sufficiently 
prepared,  to  baptize  them;  and  then  prepare  the  neophytes  in  order  to 
confirm  them.  So  it  was  that  in  these  sacred  duties  he  was  continually 
occupied  while  at  the  Mission,  and  always  when  he  returned,  after  see- 
ing the  work  elsewhere,  it  seemed  to  him  that  his  own  work  was  slothful 
and  lukewarm,  for  he  would  often  say:  "I  have  been  much  edified  by 
*  the  work  which  the  others  are  doing  and  have  done.  We  are  ourselves 
always  a  little  behind  the  others." 

He  was  engaged  in  these  daily  exercises  when  the  frigate  arrived,  in 
the  month  of  June  of  the  year  1779,  bringing  provisions  and  letters,  and 
the  news  that  the  government  of  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy  of  New 
Spain,  had  seen  fit  to  separate  all  the  interior  provinces,  including  those 
of  California,  and  His  Majesty  had  appointed  as  Commander  and 
Governor-General,  Don  Teodoro  de  Croix,  who  was  to  have  his  residence 
in  the  Province  of  Sonora  and  to  whom  all  matters  were  hereafter  to  be 
referred  as  the  Superior  Government  for  these  interior  provinces  of 
New  Spain. 

This  unexpected  news,  on  reaching  these  settlements,  could  not  help 
causing  his  Reverence  great  concern  and  regret  (although  he  was  as  ever 
completely  resigned  to  the  will  of  God,  in  whom  he  put  all  his  trust). 
He  coiild  not  help  thinking  that  while  the  new  Governor  was  taking 
over  the  office  and  putting  his  commandance  in  order,  and  becoming 
acquainted  with  the  many  matters  which  would  be  placed  in  his  charge, 
there  would  be  a  delay  in  carrying  out  the  plans  already  made  for  these 
settlements,  and  principally  those  affecting  the  new  Missions  in  the 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  ^23 

Channel  [of  Santa  Barbara]  which  since  the  preceding  year,  in  accord 
with  the  wishes  of  the  Governor,  he  had  asked  of  His  Excellency,  the 
Viceroy.  He  was  especially  anxious  about  these  because  they  had  been 
the  places  in  which  there  would  most  likely  be  a  delay,  as  they  would 
cease  to  be  under  the  special  care  of  His  Excellency.  But  the  great 
affection  which  His  Excellency,  Viceroy  Bucareli,  had  come  to  feel  for 
the  Venerable  Father  Junipero,  and  the  large  thought  which  he  had 
expended  upon  these  spiritual  projects,  were  such  that  he  was  not  likely 
soon  to  forget  them,  and  he  immediately  recommended  to  the  new  Com- 
mander that  he  carry  out  the  plans,  as  is  shown  in  the  letter  said  Com- 
mander wrote  to  his  Reverence  before  arriving  at  his  new  position,  as 
will  be  seen  in  the  copy  here  transcribed. 

COPY  OF  THE  LETTER  OF  THE  COMMANDER-GENERAL 

The  reports  from  His  Excellency  and  the  contents  of  the  letters  which  your 
Reverence  has  sent  to  him  convince  me  of  your  activity  and  zeal,  your  piety  and 
prudence  in  the  government  of  these  Missions  and  in  the  treatment  of  the  Indians 
inspired  by  your  earnest  desire  for  their  true  happiness.  Just  at  present  I  cannot 
grant  the  assistance  which  your  Reverence  asks  for,  for  the  reasons  which  I  have 
presented  to  the  Commander  of  that  province,  but  I  hope  that  very  shortly  I  shall 
be  in  a  position  to  satisfy  your  zeal,  and  to  work  indefatigably  for  the  welfare  of  these 
settlements.  To  this  same  end  I  trust  that  your  Reverence  will  contribute  all 
possible  assistance  not  only  by  your  most  praiseworthy  conduct  but  by  your  wise 
suggestions.  Your  Reverence  will  find  in  me  all  that  you  can  desire  for  the  work  of 
the  Propagation  of  the  Faith  and  the  Glory  of  Our  Religion,  and  I  beg  you  to  ask  that 
all  the  Friars  continue  to  supplicate  God  for  the  prosperity  and  the  success  of  these 
important  commissions  under  my  charge,  even  as  I  pray  for  the  health  of  your 
Reverence  and  that  God  will  keep  you  many  years.  Quer6taro,  15th  of  August, 
1777.  Knight  de  Croix.  To  the  Very  Reverend  Father  President  Fr.  Junipero 
Serra. 

This  letter,  which  was  somewhat  delayed  in  coming  to  hand,  in  no 
small  degree  mitigated  the  pain  which  the  Venerable  Father  President 
felt  in  his  heart.  He  considered  the  delay  as  explained  by  the  change 
of  government  to  a  point  so  far  distant  from  Mexico  City,  and  also  due 
to  the  fact  that  in  the  new  place  of  residence  of  the  Governor-General 
there  was  no  one  to  give  warmth  to  the  affairs  of  the  Order  as  there  had 
been  in  the  College  in  Mexico.  These  considerations  made  him  more 
earnest  in  his  prayers  to  God  that  He  take  these  matters  into  His  own 
hands.  He  was  also  hindered  by  the  bad  state  of  the  sore  in  his  leg, 
which  did  not  allow  him  to  come  to  these  Missions  of  the  North  to  make 


224  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Confirmations  until  October,  but  when  he  did  come  he  found  here  in  the 
port  the  frigates  which  had  returned  from  the  exploration  voyage  far 
up  the  northern  coast,  of  which  we  have  spoken  in  Chapter  XXXVI I. 

The  officers  of  these  two  frigates,  as  well  as  the  Commander  of  the 
Expedition  (who  had  become  acquainted  with  him  in  Monterey)  were 
desirous  of  seeing  him,  but  as  he  had  written  that  on  account  of  ill- 
health  he  did  not  think  he  would  be  able  to  make  the  journey,  these 
gentlemen  decided  to  make  it  themselves.  Commander  Ignacio  Arteaga 
sending  the  two  Captains,  his  second,  Don  Fernando  Quiros  and  Don 
Juan  Francisco  de  la  Bodega  y  Cuadra,  simply  for  the  purpose  of  visiting 
his  Reverence  and  taking  with  them  one  of  the  royal  surgeons  of  the 
Squadron,  in  order  to  give  him  medical  treatment.  I  improved  this 
occasion  and  accompanied  the  gentlemen,  as  I  was  desirous  of  seeing  my 
beloved  teacher.  We  arrived  on  the  nth  of  October  at  the  Mission  of 
Santa  Clara,  and  at  the  very  same  hour  the  Venerable  Father  Jimipero 
also  arrived.  He  had  suddenly  resolved  to  visit  these  Missions  in  order 
to  make  Confirmations  and  at  the  same  time  see  the  gentlemen  of  the 
expedition,  ignoring  his  malady  and  putting  all  his  trust  in  God.  But 
he  arrived  so  badly  fatigued  that  he  could  hardly  stand,  as  in  two  days 
he  had  traveled  twenty-seven  leagues;  and  when  the  officers  and  the 
surgeon  saw  his  foot  with  the  ulcer,  they  said  it  was  just  a  miracle  that 
he  had  been  able  to  walk.  But  he  had  indeed  made  that  journey,  and 
it  filled  us  all  with  joy  and  astonishment  that  he  should  arrive  at  the 
very  hour  in  which  we  did,  his  Reverence  coming  from  the  South  and 
we  from  the  North  without  previous  notice  on  the  part  of  either.  The 
officers  were  very  profuse  in  their  expressions  of  pleasure  at  seeing  his 
Reverence  and  presented  the  compliments  and  regards  of  the  Com- 
mander. 

The  next  day  when  the  surgeon  offered  to  apply  some  remedy  to 
his  foot,  his  Reverence  said  that  it  would  be  better  to  wait  till  we  had 
reached  the  Port  of  Our  Father  St.  Francis,  fearing  that  it  might  make 
it  worse  for  the  present  and  prevent  his  making  the  journey.  So  he 
went  on,  on  foot,  traveling  as  if  he  had  nothing  the  matter  with  him. 
And  what  filled  them  most  with  wonderment  was  that  he  immediately 
began  to  baptize  some  catechimiens,  for  whom  he  invited  the  officers  to 
act  as  god-parents.  They  were  astonished  that  he  was  able  to  stand 
up  during  the  service,  as  the  Captains  said  they  themselves  became  tired 
of  standing,  though  they  were  deeply  moved  at  the  tenderness  with 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  225 

which  his  Reverence  performed  the  holy  ritual  of  the  Baptism  for 
Adults. 

We  remained  two  days  in  the  Mission  and  on  the  14th  we  left  for 
this  Mission  of  Our  Father  St.  Francis,  spending  a  day  and  a  half  on  the 
way  in  making  the  fifteen  leagues,  arriving  on  the  1 5th.  His  arrival  was 
the  occasion  of  great  joy  and  rejoicing  for  all  the  people,  both  those  of 
the  land  and  those  on  shipboard.  He  gave  his  thanks  to  the  Comman- 
der-General for  having  so  kindly  sent  the  officers,  and  he  also  congratu- 
lated him  on  the  success  of  his  expedition.  ''I  do  not  know,"  he  said, 
"how  I  can  return  your  kindness.  I  should  be  glad  to  confirm  as  many 
of  the  people  on  shipboard  as  may  desire  it  and  you  may  order  them  to 
prepare  for  it."  This  he  did,  and  on  the  21st  of  the  same  month  of 
October,  after  saying  Mass  and  preaching  the  sermon  on  the  Sacred 
Sacrament  of  Confirmation,  he  administered  the  rite  to  both  the  Span- 
iards and  the  Indians,  and  to  those  of  the  crew  who  had  not  been  con- 
firmed. He  continued  this  work  of  Confirmation  three  days  more, 
until  all  had  received  the  rite.  He  baptized  twelve  gentiles,  inviting 
the  officers  to  act  as  god-fathers.  They  thanked  him  heartily  for  the 
privilege  and  then  he  proceeded  to  confirm  the  new  converts  as  well  as 
the  three  recently  baptized  converts  brought  from  the  port  of  Bucareli. 

These  Holy  Exercises  so  absorbed  his  Reverence  that  he  thought  no 
more  of  his  malady;  but  the  surgeons  had  not  overlooked  it.  When 
they  wanted  him  to  put  himself  under  their  care,  he  excused  himself 
saying  that  after  having  rested  he  felt  better,  that  the  disease  had  be- 
come chronic  with  the  years,  and  that  it  would  require  a  long  treatment, 
which  was  not  easy  as  he  could  only  remain  a  few  days,  so  it  would  be 
useless  to  begin  a  cure,  as  it  would  really  be  better  to  leave  the  matter 
in  the  hands  of  the  Divine  Physician. 

When  his  Reverence  had  been  here  nine  days,  a  courier  arrived  at  the 
Mission,  coming  by  land  from  Old  California,  bringing  the  sad  news  of 
the  death  of  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy  Bucareli,  and  the  other  news  of 
the  breaking  out  of  war  with  England.  This  news  caused  great  sadness 
to  all,  as  it  meant  the  loss  of  a  very  zealous  friend  in  the  Viceroy,  and 
as  the  other  news  of  war  was  added,  the  officers  felt  it  their  duty  to  pro- 
ceed as  soon  as  possible  to  San  Bias.  They  got  ready  and  sailed  from 
this  port  on  the  last  day  of  October,  leaving  the  Venerable  Father  Presi- 
dent with  us  in  the  Mission.  He  felt  the  more  keenly  the  death  of  his 
great  benefactor  and  advocate  in  this  Spiritual  Conquest,  the  Viceroy 


226  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Bucareli,  in  that  he  considered  that,  while  the  Commandancy  was  no 
longer  directly  iinder  the  Viceregency,  but  under  the  Commandancy  of 
the  Province,  he  wotdd  have  had  a  great  support  in  his  continuance  in 
the  Regency,  as  he  would  have  helped  to  overcome  the  many  delays 
that  might  occur.  It  was  under  this  new  burden  of  anxiety  (though 
always  with  trust  in  God)  that  the  Venerable  Father  President  left  us  on 
the  6th  of  November,  after  having  confirmed  all  the  neophytes  here. 
He  did  the  same  in  the  Mission  of  Santa  Clara,  where  he  remained  a  few 
days  to  make  Confirmations  among  both  the  neophytes  as  well  as  among 
the  troops  and  the  people  of  the  colony  of  San  Jos6  de  Guadalupe,  and, 
with  the  merit  of  this  labor,  and  somewhat  relieved  from  his  sore  foot, 
he  retired  to  his  Mission  of  San  Carlos. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  227 


CHAPTER  L 

The  Governor  of  the  Province  Raises  Difficulty  in  Regard  to  the  Authority  to 
Confirm,  and  hy  Having  Recourse  to  His  Official  Authority  Forbids  It. 
The  Matter  is  Decided  in  Favor  of  Father  Juniper o's  Rights  Being 
Sustained.  The  Father  Returns  to  Give  Confirmations  in  These 
Missions  of  the  North.  On  His  Return  His  Beloved  Companion  and 
Pupil,  Fr.  Juan  Crespi,  Dies. 

HIS  Reverence  Father  Junipero  was  not  mistaken  in  fearing  that 
these  settlements  would  sadly  miss  even  the  shadow  of  His 
Excellency,  Viceroy  Bucareli,  and  how  much  more  his  authority  in  the 
government.  As  soon  as  this  Province  was  no  longer  under  his  charge, 
it  began  to  suffer  from  the  effects  of  orders  and  dispositions  which  not 
only  hindered  its  development,  but  were  destructive  of  the  things  already 
gained  and  estabHshed.  The  Venerable  Father  tried  with  all  prudence 
and  patience  to  present  to  the  author  of  these  hindrances  (who  was  no 
other  than  the  Governor  of  the  Province,  whom  His  Excellency,  Viceroy 
Bucareli,  had  sent  out  especially  to  develop  and  stimulate  this  Spiritual 
Conquest)  all  the  reasons  which  his  long  practice  and  high  skill  dictated, 
in  order  to  hold  back  the  giving  of  orders  which  were  destined  to  bring 
fatal  consequences  to  all  that  had  been  gained  in  the  subjugation  of  the 
territory. 

But  all  these  efficient  reasons  which  he  continued  to  present  seemed 
to  have  so  little  power  to  convince  and  restrain  him  that  he  rather 
seemed  to  delight  in  hatching  out  new  schemes  and  projects  which 
would  hinder  the  progress  of  the  Missions  already  founded,  though  they 
were  showing  proof  of  vigorous  and  steady  increase  in  both  temporal 
and  spiritual  things.  All  these  means  of  which  the  Enemy  availed 
himself  to  mortify  the  fervent  Prelate  he  endured  with  great  patience 
and  wonderful  calm,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  cut  him  to  the  heart 
and  were  more  grievous  to  him  than  all  the  arrows  which  the  most 
barbarous  and  ferocious  of  pagans  might  have  discharged  against  him. 
Leaving  out  many  instances  which  might  be  cited  to  prove  the  above 
assertion,  I  will  mention  one  only,  and  this  only  in  order  to  connect  the 


228  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

thread  of  my  story,  and  that  the  reader  may  understand  why,  during  the 
year  1780,  the  Venerable  Father  President  did  not  visit  the  Missions  in 
the  performance  of  his  duties  of  Confirmation,  and  so  not  attribute  the 
omission  to  mere  neglect  on  my  part. 

The  difficulty  which  the  Governor  presented  was  as  to  the  authority 
to  confirm,  because  he  did  not  have  at  hand  the  Patent  of  the  Royal 
Concession,  nor  the  Concession  of  the  Viceroy.  To  this  his  Reverence 
replied  that  he  did  have  it,  that  the  Patent  had  passed  through  the 
Royal  Council  in  Madrid  and  had  been  sanctioned  in  Mexico  City  by 
His  Excellency  and  the  Royal  Audiencia,  that  for  over  a  year  he  had 
been  exercising  the  functions  granted  by  it  without  having  the  slightest 
doubt  as  to  the  genuineness  of  the  permission  granted.  When  asked  to 
show  the  Patent  and  the  other  documents  concerning  the  granting  of 
the  right,  he  replied  that  the  original  had  remained  in  the  archives  of 
the  Reverend  Father  Prefect,  that  the  necessary  instrument  which  gave 
him  authorization  was  the  Patent  which  had  been  signed,  sealed  and 
countersigned  by  the  Secretary.  In  order  to  prove  to  him  that  he  had 
received  the  permit  from  His  Excellency  and,  therefore  from  the  Royal 
Council,  he  asked  him  to  read  the  letter  which  His  Excellency  Viceroy 
Bucareli  had  sent  him  (and  which  he  put  in  his  hands),  and  in  which  he 
congratulated  him  on  his  being  granted  the  authority  to  confirm,  and  in 
virtue  of  which  he  had  confirmed  a  great  many  during  the  previous 
year. 

The  Governor  answered  that  that  permit  was  of  no  value  now  as 
these  Interior  Provinces  no  longer  belonged  to  the  Viceroy,  but  were 
under  the  direction  of  the  Commander-General.  "Well,  then,"  he 
asked,  "who  is  the  Vice-Patrono?"  On  his  replying  that  for  these 
Provinces  it  was  the  Commander-General,  and  for  these  Califomias, 
himself  who  acted  as  Governor,  the  fervent  Prelate  said:  "In  that  case, 
if  the  authorities  are  at  hand,  the  matter  is  easily  remedied.  Here  you 
have  the  Patent  assigning  me  the  right  to  confirm.  I  pray  you  affix 
your  permit  to  this  document  in  order  that  these  poor  people  may  not 
be  deprived  of  a  great  good.  Inasmuch  as  the  authorization  is  for  only 
ten  years,  it  will  soon  expire."  To  this  proposition  (as  he  was  intent  on 
carrying  out  his  purpose)  he  replied  that  the  place  where  the  permit 
should  appear  was  at  the  foot  of  the  Pontifical  Brief  which  His  Holiness 
had  granted,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  Original  Permit  granted  by  the 
Council,  and  as  he  did  not  have  at  hand  these  originals,  the  Governor 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  229 

advised  him  not  to  continue  in  the  work  of  Confirmation  until  a  reply 
had  come  from  the  Commander-General  whom  he  had  consulted  in  the 
matter. 

I  leave  to  the  consideration  of  the  reader  what  must  have  been  the 
distress  which  this  decision  brought  to  the  fervent  heart  of  our  Venerable 
Father,  who  understood  so  well  the  great  spiritual  value  which  this 
Holy  Sacrament  had  for  these  people  who  were  still  so  young  in  the 
faith;  but,  putting  himself  in  God's  hands,  he  suspended  the  work  of 
Confirmation,  fearing  that  he  might  also  be  deprived  of  the  right  to 
baptize.  We  are  not  to  beHeve  that  the  Governor  did  this  through 
malice,  but  as  he  had  no  advisor  near  he  acted  according  to  his  best 
judgment,  presuming  that  this  was  what  he  ought  to  do.  In  view  of  all 
that  has  been  said,  the  Father  not  only  suspended  the  work  of  Confirma- 
tion but  he  also  remitted  the  Patent  and  Authorization  to  the  College, 
explaining  by  letter  all  that  had  taken  place  between  him  and  the 
Governor.  As  soon  as  the  Reverend  Father  Guardian  received  the  let- 
ters he  had  an  interview  with  the  new  Viceroy  and  asked  him  for  a  copy 
of  the  permit  which  had  been  appended  to  the  Pontifical  Brief.  When 
this  had  been  sent  to  the  Commander-General,  the  latter  immediately 
sent  orders  to  the  Governor  instructing  him  that  he  was  in  no  wise  to 
hinder  the  Reverend  Father  President  in  his  work  of  Confirmation,  but 
that  whenever  his  Reverence  wished  to  make  a  visit  to  any  of  the 
Missions  that  he  provide  him  with  a  military  escort.  In  this  way  the 
storm  ceased;  but  others  followed,  nor  did  the  contrary  winds  cease 
to  blow  as  long  as  he  lived,  in  order  that  the  martyrdom  which  he 
desired  might  be  a  bloodless  one. 

During  all  the  time  that  this  matter  remained  undecided,  which  was 
prolonged  on  account  of  the  great  distance  from  Mexico  to  Sonora  and 
from  Sonora  on  to  Monterey,  he  did  not  confirm  any  one  nor  did  he 
leave  his  Mission,  but  occupied  himself  with  his  round  of  ordinary 
exercises,  finding  consolation  in  the  many  pagan  people  who  kept  coming 
in  even  from  long  distances  and  asking  for  Holy  Baptism,  so  that  he  was 
constantly  occupied  in  the  work  of  instruction  and  preparation  for 
baptism,  and  so  having  a  part  in  augmenting  the  ntimber  of  children 
belonging  to  Our  Holy  Church  in  spite  of  hell. 

During  the  month  of  September  of  the  year  1781,  in  which  the 
decision  arrived,  after  having  celebrated  the  Confirmations  in  his  own 
Mission,  he  set  out  to  perform  the  same  duties  in  that  of  San  Antonio, 


230  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

returning  in  the  first  days  of  October  to  celebrate  the  Feast  of  our  Holy 
Father  in  his  Mission  of  San  Carlos.  After  this  Saint's  Day  was  over 
he  decided  to  go  to  the  two  Missions  of  the  north  in  order  to  confirm  the 
believers  there.  His  disciple,  Fr.  Juan  Crespi,  offered  to  go  with  him  as 
he  was  desirous  of  seeing  this  port  now  populated  with  Christians,  since 
he  had  not  seen  it  since  the  year  1769,  when  it  was  populated  with 
pagans.  They  arrived  at  this  Mission  on  the  26th  of  October,  bringing 
to  me  extraordinary  joy  and  delight  because  I  saw  at  my  own  door  both 
my  beloved  master  and  teacher  and  my  dear  fellow-disciple,  Fr.  Juan 
Crespi,  who,  in  view  of  what  afterwards  happened,  seems  to  have  come 
in  order  to  bid  me  good-bye  until  eternity.  They  remained  at  this 
Mission  until  the  9th  of  November,  in  which  time  the  Venerable  Father 
President  performed  all  the  Confirmations  necessary  among  the  con- 
verts who  had  been  baptized  in  the  interval  since  his  last  visit. 

They  left  on  that  day  for  the  Mission  of  Santa  Clara,  filling  my 
heart  with  grief,  and  theirs  also,  as  the  pain  of  saying  good-bye  was 
quite  as  great  as  the  joy  with  which  I  had  welcomed  them  on  their 
arrival.  The  Venerable  Father  President  confirmed  all  the  converts 
in  that  Mission  and  then  returned  to  his  own  Mission  before  the  rivers 
should  rise.  A  few  days  after  reaching  home  Father  Crespi  was  taken 
seriously  ill,  and  realizing  that  God  was  calling  him  to  the  other  world, 
he  prepared  himself  to  receive  the  Holy  Sacraments  and  on  the  ist  day 
of  January,  1782,  he  delivered  his  soul  to  his  Maker,  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years  and  ten  months.  He  had  worked  thirty  years  in  the  Missions 
among  the  pagans;  that  is,  sixteen  years  in  the  Mission  of  our  Holy 
Father  San  Francisco,  in  the  Valley  of  Tilaco,  among  the  Pame  Indians 
of  the  Sierra  Gorda  where  he  had  tried  to  imitate  his  beloved  master 
and  teacher,  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero,  laboring  both  in  spiritual 
and  in  temporal  things,  baptizing  many  hundreds  of  Indians  and 
educating  them  in  the  Mysteries  of  Our  Holy  Faith,  and  at  the  same  time 
engaged  in  secular  labor  in  order  to  civilize  them  that  they  might  have 
wherewithal  to  eat  and  to  wear.  He  constructed  for  them  a  large  stone 
church  with  its  bovedas  [arched  roof  of  masonry]  and  tower.  He  had 
sent  out,  on  account  of  his  stipend  from  Mexico,  the  collateral  pillars 
and  the  sacred  images  for  the  interior  decoration,  all  of  which  he  obtained 
to  his  own  satisfaction  and  left  that  Mission  in  the  Sierra  Gorda  in  good 
condition.  Just  as  he  was  about  to  deliver  this  work  to  the  secular 
clergy  he  was  named  by  the  Reverend  Father  Guardian  and  the  Vener- 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  231 

able  Council  of  the  College  to  come  to  these  Califomias.  As  soon  as  he 
received  the  letter  from  the  College  he  started  out  with  great  joy  and 
hopes  for  the  port  of  San  Bias  in  company  with  four  other  companions, 
without  stopping  to  visit  the  College  and  say  good-bye,  as  there  was 
need  that  they  arrive  at  the  port  as  soon  as  possible. 

The  rest  of  his  life,  which  was  a  period  of  fourteen  years,  he  spent 
in  these  Califomias,  working  without  ceasing,  as  has  already  been  indi- 
cated in  this  narrative,  as  he  had  part  in  many  different  journeys  with 
the  first  land  expeditions  which  came  out,  as  we  have  already  told;  and 
if  the  curious  reader  wishes  to  know  what  things  he  did  and  stiifered  in 
order  to  bring  about  this  Conquest  he  has  only  to  read  the  diaries  which 
this  Father  wrote  while  on  the  road  and  while  resting  in  the  camps  at 
night,  as  well  as  the  account  of  the  sea  expedition  made  in  order  to 
explore  the  coasts  of  this  Pacific  Ocean  and  which  had  been  the  first 
expedition  to  reach  as  far  north  as  latitude  55°  along  an  unknown  coast 
where  they  were  in  continual  danger  of  being  wrecked  by  striking 
upon  some  island,  headland,  or  sunken  reef.  But  in  all  these  dangers 
God  delivered  him  and  permitted  him  to  work  in  this  His  Mystic 
Vineyard,  helping  his  Venerable  and  Exemplary  Master  who,  from  the 
time  of  his  arrival  at  Monterey,  had  appointed  him  to  be  his  companion 
and  co-pastor  in  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos,  where  he  worked  from  the 
time  of  its  founding  until  the  time  of  his  death,  instructing  and  baptizing 
innimierable  pagans  as  we  have  already  recounted  in  connection  with 
the  work  of  that  Mission.  With  this  abundance  of  merit  and  the 
exercise  of  virtue  in  which  he  had  always  excelled  from  a  child  when  I 
first  knew  him  and  when  we  studied  together  our  primer  lessons,  until 
we  had  finished  theology  and  ethics,  I  knew  him  to  be  always  most 
exemplary.  He  was  known  among  his  fellow-disciples  by  the  name  of 
"Devout"  or  "Mystic,"  and  he  continued  in  the  same  way  throughout 
all  his  life,  notable  for  his  unsullied  purity  and  his  deep  himiility,  as  was 
shown  by  many  incidents  in  which,  when  a  student,  if  at  any  time  he 
thought  he  had  offended  any  one  of  his  fellow-students,  he  would  go  to 
his  cell  and  there  throwing  himself  upon  his  knees,  would  ask  for  pardon. 
As  he  had  not  a  good  memory  and  was  not  able  to  repeat  the  doctrinal 
sermons  after  the  first  gospel  of  the  principal  Mass  on  Sundays  and 
Feast  Days,  by  memory,  he  used  to  take  the  book  and  would  read  one 
of  the  doctrinal  sermons  and  in  this  way  instruct  the  people,  and  all 
were  much  edified  by  his  humility.    Being  thus  adorned  by  this  and 


232  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


1 


other  virtues  and  crowned  with  the  reward  for  the  great  labor  which  he 
had  accompHshed  for  the  conversion  of  the  gentiles,  God  called  him,  in 
order  to  give  him  the  reward  of  his  Apostolic  labors  and  fatigues.  After 
being  carefully  prepared  with  the  help  of  all  the  Sacraments  which  the 
Venerable  Father  Junipero  administered,  and  also  spiritually  sustained 
by  his  Reverence,  he  delivered  up  his  soul  to  his  Creator.  And  we  who 
knew  him  and  loved  him  so  well  do  piously  believe  that  he  must  have 
gone  straight  to  the  enjoyment  of  God.  Father  Junipero  had  him 
buried  in  the  presbytery  at  the  gospel  side  of  the  altar  in  his  own  church 
of  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos.  Two  other  Missionary  Fathers  took  part 
in  the  funeral  service,  after  having  given  him  all  due  honors,  and  the 
Commander  of  the  presidio  was  also  present  with  all  the  troops  from  that 
place  and  from  the  Mission,  as  well  as  all  the  converted  Christians, 
whose  lamentations  eloquently  expressed  the  love  which  they  had  for 
him  as  their  Father.  This  love  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  also 
expressed  to  me  later  when,  just  before  he  died,  he  requested  that  he 
be  given  burial  by  the  side  of  his  beloved  disciple  and  companion. 
Father  Juan  Crespi,  and  in  this  way  he  indicated  not  only  his  great  love 
for  him  but  the  very  high  esteem  in  which  he  held  him  in  view  of  his 
blameless  life  and  model  virtues. 

I  have  not  wished  to  omit  this  brief  reference  to  the  life  of  Father 
Juan  Crespi,  not  simply  because  he  was  my  own  beloved  fellow-disciple 
and  companion  for  more  than  forty  years,  both  in  the  Mother  Province 
as  well  as  in  the  Apostolic  ministry,  but  also  that  that  Province  which 
was  his  holy  Mother  might  not  forget  to  commend  him  to  God  in  case 
he  should  have  need  of  her  prayers  in  order  to  obtain  in  heaven  the 
reward  for  his  Apostolic  labors. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  233 


CHAPTER   LI 

The  Settlements  of  the  Channel  of  Santa  Barbara,  The  Founding  of  a 
Town  of  Spaniards,  and  of  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura  and  of 
the  Presidio  of  Santa  Barbara.     The  Sad  Events  on  the  Colorado  River. 

THE  new  Commander-General,  Theodore  de  Croix,  was  so  much 
impressed  by  the  recommendation  of  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy, 
concerning  the  request  of  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  for  the  found- 
ing of  two  Missions  on  the  Santa  Barbara  Channel,  that  from  some 
point  on  the  road  before  arriving  at  his  destination,  he  dispatched  an 
order  to  the  Governor,  instructing  him  to  send  Capt.  Fernando  Rivera 
to  Arispe,  commissioning  him  to  recruit  there  seventy-five  soldiers  for 
the  founding  of  a  presidio  and  three  Missions  in  the  above  mentioned 
Santa  Barbara  Channel;   the  presidio  and  one  Mission  located  in  the  « 
center  of  the  Channel  with  the  name  of  that  saint,  the  other  two  to  be 
dedicated,  one  to  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  Mary  Most  Holy,  and  « 
the  other  to  San  Buenaventura,  the  same  to  occupy  the  two  extremes  of  t 
the  Channel  and  each  to  be  guarded  by  a  squad  of  fifteen  soldiers,  the 
rest  to  be  stationed  at  the  presidio  with  their  corresponding  officers. 
He  also  instructed  him  to  recruit  families  of  colonists  in  order  to  found  a  . 
town  which  was  to  be  called  Nuestra  Senora  de  los  Angeles  [Our  Lady  of 
the  Angels]  on  the  river  named  Porciimcula. 

At  the  same  time  he  ordered  that  the  Fathers  of  the  College  of  the 
Holy  Cross  of  Quer^taro  should  found  two  Missions  on  the  Colorado 
River,  not  only  to  bring  about  the  conversion  of  those  pagans  but  also 
to  make  sure  the  path  through  that  country  which  had  been  discovered 
in  order  to  keep  up  communications  between  the  Lower  and  the  Upper 
Provinces.  But  these  Missions  were  founded  on  a  plan  entirely  differ^ 
ent  from  ours;  that  is  to  say,  no  presidio  was  built,  but  soldiers  were 
stationed  in  each  Mission  and  eight  colonists  with  their  families,  a 
sergeant  to  have  command  in  one  Mission  and  an  ensign  in  another. 
The  Missionary  Fathers  were  to  have  charge  only  of  the  spiritual  work, 
the  gentiles  whom  they  might  baptize  were  to  continue  living  in  the 
villages  and  to  support  themselves  as  they  did  before  conversion.     It 


234  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


1 


was  on  this  plan,  so  totally  different  from  the  one  which  we  had  followed 
here,  that  the  Missions  were  established,  but  very  shortly  the  difference 
in  results  were  shown,  as  the  Indians  killed  the  Commander,  the  Sergeant 
and  almost  all  of  the  soldiers  and  colonists,  excepting  a  few  who  had 
hidden  themselves  and  who,  though  their  lives  were  spared,  were 
reduced  to  slavery,  together  with  all  the  women  and  children.  The 
four  Missionaries  were  martyred  and  the  two  Missions  were  burned  up, 
with  all  that  was  in  them,  and  so  not  only  was  everything  lost,  but  this 
way  of  communication  became  closed.  I  have  anticipated  a  little  in 
giving  this  news  in  order  to  go  on  with  my  narrative. 

As  soon  as  the  Governor  received  the  order  from  the  Commander- 
General  he  dispatched  his  Lieutenant,  Capt.  Rivera,  for  Old  California, 
where  he  arrived,  taking  ship  in  Loreto  and  going  on  to  the  office  of  the 
Commander-General,  there  to  receive  all  the  orders  and  instructions 
necessary  for  the  purpose  and  to  proceed  to  carry  out  the  commission. 
He  began  recruiting  in  the  Province  of  Sinaloa,  sending  on  the  squads  of 
recruits,  both  of  soldiers  and  colonists,  by  sea  to  Loreto  in  order  that 
they  might  go  north  by  land  to  San  Diego.  Those  he  recruited  in 
Sonora  he  himself  conducted  by  way  of  the  Colorado  River,  with  all  the 
horses  and  mules,  which  numbered  more  than  a  thousand  head. 

Capt.  Rivera  arrived,  with  all  his  expedition,  at  the  Colorado  River, 
where  he  found  that  the  two  Missions  above  described  had  been  already 
founded.  On  noting  that  the  horses  and  mules  had  arrived  very  thin 
and  sick  and  fearing  that  they  might  die  in  the  stretch  of  eighty  leagues 
still  remaining  to  be  covered  before  reaching  San  Gabriel,  whither  they 
were  to  be  sent,  he  decided  to  let  them  remain  by  the  shores  of  this 
river  until  they  could  recuperate.  Remaining  behind  with  only  one 
sergeant  and  six  soldiers  belonging  to  the  guard  of  Monterey,  whom  the 
Governor  had  sent  him,  he  ordered  the  expedition  to  go  forward  with  the 
officers  who  had  come  from  Sonora  for  these  settlements,  being  convoyed 
by  an  Ensign  and  nine  veteran  soldiers  from  one  of  the  presidios  of 
Sonora. 

The  Governor  had  come  down  ahead  as  far  as  the  Mission  of  San 
Gabriel,  where  he  had  attended  to  the  receiving  of  the  troops  which  had 
been  sent  north  by  land  from  Old  California,  and  there  he  also  received 
this  last  detachment  which  had  come  by  way  of  the  Colorado  River,  so 
that  he  had  together  there  all  of  the  troops  with  the  two  Lieutenants  and 
two  Ensigns,  there  being  lacking  only  Capt.  Rivera,  the  sergeant  and 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  235 

the  six  soldiers,  which  had  been  sent  him  in  order  to  come  on  later  as 
soon  as  the  horses  had  recuperated.  He  therefore  dispatched  the  Ensign 
with  the  nine  veteran  soldiers,  ordering  them  to  return  to  the  presidio 
of  Sonora  by  the  same  road  which  the  expedition  had  traveled  through 
the  Colorado  River  pass. 

The  Ensign  set  out  with  his  little  squad  of  nine  men,  but  long  before 
he  reached  the  river  he  understood  from  the  pagans  who  met  him  on 
the  road  that  the  river  Indians  had  killed  the  Fathers  and  the  soldiers 
and  had  burned  the  two  Mission  houses.  The  Ensign,  who  was  a  man 
of  courage,  did  not  at  first  believe  the  Indians,  nor  did  he  want  to  ttim 
back  on  account  of  what  they  said,  but  he  went  on  and  arrived  at  the 
place  where  he  saw  that  it  was  all  true,  for  he  found  all  the  buildings 
reduced  to  ashes  and  the  bodies  strewn  about.  Not  finding  any  one 
whom  he  could  question,  but  a  great  horde  of  pagans  against  whom  he^ 
had  to  fight,  and  seeing  that  he  had  so  few  men  at  his  disposal,  as  two  of 
his  soldiers  had  been  killed  and  another  had  been  wounded,  he  decided 
it  was  wise  to  return  to  San  Gabriel,  which  he  succeeded  in  doing  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  during  the  first  two  days'  joimiey  he  had  to  carry  on  a 
continual  fight  with  the  Indians  who  followed  him  and  who  did  their 
best  to  prevent  any  one  of  his  command  ever  escaping  to  tell  the  tale. 
With  God's  help  he  was  delivered  and  arrived  at  San  Gabriel  with  no 
further  disaster  than  the  death  of  the  two  soldiers,  and  the  wounding  of 
another,  who  afterwards  recovered.  He  gave  an  account  of  all  he  had 
seen  and  of  what  had  happened  to  the  Governor,  and  the  latter  reported 
the  same  to  the  Commander-General,  dispatching  as  his  courier  the 
same  Ensign  with  the  seven  soldiers  which  had  remained  of  those  sent 
from  Old  California,  with  orders  that  he  embark  in  Loreto,  and  that  he 
should  not  stop  until  he  had  put  the  letters  in  the  hands  of  the  Com- 
mander-General, who  was  at  the  time  in  the  city  of  Arispe  and  whom  he 
presumed  was  still  ignorant  of  what  had  happened. 

This  sad  event  delayed  somewhat  the  founding  of  the  settlements  of 
the  Channel  of  Santa  Barbara  because  the  Governor  either  was  afraid 
the  colonists  would  not  dare  to  come  on  to  the  settlements,  or  that, 
incited  by  the  bad  example,  the  Indian  nations  inhabiting  the  region 
between  the  Colorado  River  and  these  Missions  might  attack  them.  So 
he  decided  to  remain  with  all  the  troops  in  the  Mission  of  San  Gabriel 
until  he  saw  the  results.  In  the  meantime  he  ordered  the  founding  of 
the  Spanish  town  on  the  Porciuncula  River,  so  called  by  the  firvSt  expedi- 


236  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

tion  in  the  year  1769.  He  got  together  all  the  colonists  who  had  come 
out  for  this  purpose,  and  he  assigned  them  lands  and  a  townsite  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  about  four  leagues  to  the  northwest  of  the  Mission  of 
San  Gabriel,  and  there,  tmder  the  guard  of  a  corporal  and  three  soldiers, 
t  they  founded  the  town,  in  the  last  days  of  the  year  1781,  under  the  name 
of  Our  Lady  of  the  Angels  of  Porciuncula.^^  Here  the  people  occupied 
themselves  with  their  crops  in  the  same  way  as  has  been  told  of  the 
people  of  San  Jos6,  with  this  exception,  that  the  people  had  to  walk  four 
leagues  in  order  to  hear  Mass. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  437 


CHAPTER  LII 

Continuing  the  Narrative  of  the  Channel  Settlements  and  the  Visit  Made  for 

This  Purpose  by  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  to  San  Gabriel. 

He  Founds  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura. 

WHEN  the  Governor  had  waited  a  whole  half-year  after  the  fatal 
happenings  on  the  Colorado  River  without  seeing  any  sign  of 
danger  to  these  settlements  in  California,  he  ordered  steps  to  be  taken 
toward  the  foundation  of  the  Missions,  while  waiting  for  the  arrival  of 
the  vessel  by  which  he  expected  the  six  Missionaries  from  our  College 
to  arrive,  as  he  had  been  advised  by  letter,  whom  the  Commander- 
General  had  asked  to  have  sent  out  for  this  work  through  the  mediation 
of  His  Excellency,  the  Viceroy.  As  they  could  not  now  delay  much 
longer  he  decided  to  take  the  first  steps  toward  the  founding  of  the 
Mission,  and  so  wrote,  in  February  of  the  year  1782,  to  the  Reverend 
Father  President,  asking  him  for  two  Missionaries,  one  to  begin  the 
work  in  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura  and  the  other  in  that  of 
Santa  Barbara. 

The  Venerable  Father  President  was  at  the  time  in  his  Mission  of 
San  Carlos,  engaged  in  his  ordinary  duties.  On  receipt  of  the  letter, 
from  which  he  understood  that  the  arrival  of  the  six  Missionaries  named 
was  assured,  as  their  names  were  also  given  in  the  letter,  and  moved  by 
the  greatest  desire  to  see  these  Missions  established,  he  cast  about 
among  the  few  laborers  which  were  to  be  had,  of  whom  only  one  was  not 
regularly  assigned  and  who  was  at  the  Mission  of  Monterey,  his  duties 
being  to  take  the  place  of  his  Reverence  when  the  latter  was  making 
visits.  In  the  Mission  of  San  Diego  there  was  also  one  extra  Missionary, 
my  dear  companion,  Fr.  Pedro  Benito  Cambon,  who  had  a  little  before 
arrived  from  a  prolonged  voyage  which  it  had  been  necessary  to  make 
to  the  Philippine  Islands,  being  set  on  shore  here  the  previous  December 
by  his  ship  on  account  of  sickness.  He  was  convalescing  at  this  time 
in  the  Mission  of  San  Diego.  Trusting  that  he  would  have  recovered 
his  strength  sufficiently  to  act  in  this  service,  the  Prelate  wrote  to  him 
to  encourage  him  and  request  him  to  come  on  to  the  Mission  of  San 


238  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Gabriel  where  he  would  see  him,  which  he  did  and  which  I  will  tell  about 
afterward. 

His  Reverence  did  not  wish  to  lose  the  merit  of  these  labors,  both  as 
to  the  road  he  must  travel  and  the  founding  of  the  Missions  which  he 
anticipated.  Leaving  his  helper  to  take  his  place  in  the  Mission  of 
Monterey,  and  with  no  further  provision  than  he  ordinarily  took  on 
going  out  to  make  visits,  he  started  for  San  Gabriel.  His  ardent  zeal 
and  his  immense  desire  to  see  the  increase  in  the  number  of  the  sons 
of  God  gathered  into  Holy  Church  made  him  forget  his  own  personal 
maladies.  On  his  way  south  he  confirmed  all  the  neophytes  who  had 
been  baptized  since  his  previous  visit  in  the  two  Missions  of  San  Luis 
Obispo  and  San  Antonio.  He  passed  along  by  the  Santa  Barbara 
Channel,  rejoicing  to  see  there  so  many  people  of  the  pagans  upon  whom 
was  about  to  dawn  the  light  of  Our  Holy  Faith.  He  tried  to  win  their 
favor  and  show  them  kindness,  giving  them  to  tmderstand  that  he 
would  shortly  return,  but  this  time  not  simply  as  a  visitor  but  to  live 
among  them.    This  news  seemed  to  please  them  greatly. 

On  the  1 8th  of  March  and  late  at  night  he  arrived  at  the  new  town 
of  Our  Lady  of  the  Angels  [Los  Angeles]  and  there  he  passed  the  night, 
leaving  early  the  next  morning  for  the  Mission  of  San  Gabriel,  which  was 
four  leagues  distant.  His  Reverence  told  me  afterward  that  the  dis- 
tance seemed  to  him  much  greater,  either  because  he  had  not  eaten  or 
because  of  his  great  desire  to  arrive.  He  found  the  Father  Missionaries 
in  good  health  and  with  them  Father  Cambon,  already  much  better  and 
able  to  go  to  work,  which  news  gave  him  great  joy.  Leaving  the  usual 
salutations  for  afterwards,  he  ordered  the  bell  to  be  rung  for  High  Mass, 
which  his  Reverence  celebrated  and  then  delivered  a  very  fervent  ser- 
mon in  honor  of  the  Most  Holy  Patriarch,  Saint  Joseph,  whose  day  it 
was,  forgetting  completely  the  weariness  of  the  long  journey  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty  leagues  from  Monterey,  and  the  four  leagues  trav- 
eled that  very  morning. 

In  the  afternoon  he  paid  a  formal  visit  to  the  Governor,  which  was . 
returned  the  following  day,  and  in  these  interviews  the  question  of  the 
foundation  of  the  Missions  was  considered.  They  resolved  to  found  the 
Mission  of  San  Buenaventura  at  the  entrance  to  the  Channel,  where 
Father  Cambon  was  to  remain  as  provisional  Missionary,  and  then  they 
would  pass  on  to  the  middle  of  the  Channel,  where  they  would  foun4  the 
presidio  and  Mission  of  Santa  Barbara. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  239 

Although  the  devoted  Father  would  have  greatly  preferred  to  cele- 
brate Holy  Week  in  the  Mission,  he  had  to  content  himself  with  his  good 
intentions,  for  the  departure  of  the  expedition  was  announced  for  the 
26th  of  March,  which  was  Tuesday  in  Holy  Week.  During  the  six  days 
which  his  Reverence  was  in  the  Mission  of  San  Gabriel  he  was  busy 
administering  Confirmations,  even  up  to  the  very  day  of  their  departure, 
as  after  saying  Mass  he  confirmed  the  last  ones,  and  then  started  out 
with  the  expedition,  which  was  composed  of  a  larger  crowd  of  people 
than  had  ever  been  seen  at  any  one  of  these  settlements.  For  besides 
the  troops  belonging  to  the  garrisons  [presidios]  of  the  three  Missions, 
which  was  composed  of  seventy  soldiers,  with  their  Lieutenant-Captain- 
Commander  for  a  new  presidio,  there  were  an  Ensign,  and  three  ser- 
geants with  their  correspondi;ng  corporals.  The  Governor  also  went 
along  with  ten  soldiers  from  the  company  of  Monterey,  each  one  having 
his  wife  and  family,  as  nearly  all  of  them  were  married  men.  There 
were  also  muleteers  with  their  pack-animals  loaded  with  provisions  and 
utensils,  and  also  the  servants  and  a  ntimber  of  converted  Indians  who 
were  to  help  in  the  work  of  building  Only  in  the  nimiber  of  Fathers 
was  the  expedition  deficient,  as  these  were  limited  to  the  Reverend 
Father  Junipero  and  Fr.  Pedro  Cambon.  When  the  Venerable  Father 
saw  such  a  great  formation  of  troops  and  such  a  crowd  of  people,  all 
going  to  take  part  in  the  foimding  of  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura, 
he  felt  called  on  to  remark,  as  he  remembered  with  what  few  people  and 
what  a  lack  of  provisions  some  of  the  other  Missions  had  been  founded, 
**Quo  tandem  tardius  eo  solemniuSf^'^^  quoting  words  which  had  been  used 
at  the  canonization  of  the  Seraphic  Doctor  San  Buenaventura. 

As  we  have  said,  this  entire  expedition  which  had  been  waiting  in  the 
Mission  of  San  Gabriel  started  out  on  the  26th  of  March,  going  in  a 
northwesterly  direction  toward  the  coast  of  the  Channel  of  Santa 
Barbara.  At  the  first  encampment  a  courier  arrived  about  midnight 
from  the  San  Gabriel  Mission,  dispatched  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Don 
Pedro  Fages,  Commander  of  the  expedition,  which  had  come  by  order 
of  the  Commander-General  to  the  Colorado  River  under  orders  to  cross 
that  river  and  to  go  on  to  San  Gabriel,  there  to  present  the  dispatches 
which  he  carried  to  the  Governor  of  the  Province,  and  to  consult  him 
about  them.  Upon  his  arrival  in  San  Gabriel  Captain  Fages  sent  off  a 
courier  to  the  Governor  who,  on  receipt  of  it,  started  out  at  the  same  hour 
with  ten  of  his  soldiers,  returning  to  San  Gabriel,  leaving  orders  with 


240  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

the  Commander  of  the  new  presidio  of  Santa  Barbara  to  go  on  with  the 
expedition  to  the  Channel  as  he  wotild  soon  return;  and  in  case  he  was 
delayed  to  take  steps  for  the  founding  of  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaven- 
tura and  there  to  wait  for  him.  He  then  started  for  San  Gabriel,  there 
to  treat  with  Commander  Pages  about  the  question  of  the  Colorado 
River,  of  which  I  shall  speak  in  the  following  chapter. 

The  expedition  continued  its  journey  the  next  day,  and  on  the  29th 
of  March  arrived  at  the  entrance  to  the  Channel  and  set  up  a  camp  at  the 
place  which  had  been  named  by  the  first  expedition,  in  the  year  1769, 

t  Assumpta,  or  the  Assumption  of  Our  Lady,  and  previously  chosen  for  the 
Mission  of  San  Buenaventura.  The  site  is  near  the  beach,  on  the  edge 
of  which  there  is  a  large  Indian  town  well  formed  of  pyramid-shaped 
houses  made  of  grass.  This  site  is  at  latitude  34  degrees  13  minutes. 
On  the  next  day  after  arrival  the  people  were  busy  constructing  a 
large  Cross,  and  an  arbor  which  was  to  serve  as  a  chapel,  and  in 
arranging  and  adorning  the  altar  for  the  saying  of  the  first  Mass  on  the 
following  day. 

On  the  last  of  March,  and  on  the  first  day  of  the  joyful  Passover, 
Feast  of  the  Resurrection  of  our  Lord,  the  Venerable  Pather  President 
blessed  the  ground  and  the  Holy  Cross,  which  was  venerated  and  set 
up,  and  then  he  sang  the  first  Mass,  in  which  he  preached  on  the  Sov- 
ereign Mystery  of  the  day  to  the  troops.     He  then  took  possession  of  the 

»  site  of  the  Mission  dedicated  to  the  seraphic  doctor,  San  Buenaventura. 
The  pagan  people  of  the  town  showed  themselves  greatly  delighted  with 
their  new  neighbors  and  were  all  willing  to  help  in  the  building  of  the 
chapel,  and  with  the  same  pleasure  continued  to  help  in  the  work  of 
constructing  a  house  for  the  Pather,  all  being  made  of  wood.  The 
soldiers  assigned  to  act  as  guard  began  to  cut  the  wood  for  their  barracks 
and  for  their  own  houses,  building  a  stockade  for  security  and  defense. 
In  the  same  way  work  was  begun  on  the  construction  of  a  ditch 
which  was  to  bring  water  from  a  large  perennial  stream  which  flowed 
not  far  from  the  place,  in  order  that  they  might  have  water  near  to  their 
houses,  as  well  as  to  have  the  use  of  it  for  the  fields  and  for  the  crops 
which  were  to  be  the  maintenance  of  those  who  might  be  converted. 
With  the  help  of  a  converted  Indian  from  the  Mission  of  San  Gabriel, 
who  knew  something  of  their  language,  it  was  possible  to  make  the 
pagans  tmderstand  what  was  their  motive  in  coming  to  this  land,  which 
was  no  other  than  that  of  directing  their  souls  toward  heaven  and  making 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  241 

them  Christians.  Although  in  the  fortnight  in  which  the  Venerable 
Father  Founder  remained  in  the  new  Mission  he  did  not  see  any  one 
baptized,  he  did  have  the  pleasure  in  his  visit  of  the  following  year  to 
find  there  quite  a  little  group  of  Christians.  And  when  the  task  of  his 
Apostolic  life  had  been  finished  there  were  fifty-three  Christians  on  the 
roll,  and  every  day  since  the  nimiber  has  increased. 


242  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  LIII 

News  of  the  Disaster  on  the  Colorado  River  is  Received.     The  Effect  on  the 

Expedition.     The  Presidio  of  Santa  Barbara  is  Founded  and 

the  Venerable  Father  President  Returns  to  Monterey. 

WE  have  told  in  the  preceding  chapter  how  the  Governor  returned 
from  the  first  day's  camp  to  the  Mission  of  San  Gabriel,  where 
he  arrived  at  daybreak  on  the  27th  of  March,  and  there  went  over  with 
the  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Don  Pedro  Pages,  the  order  and  instructions 
which  the  latter  brought  from  the  Commander-General.  He  also  told 
the  Governor  all  the  details  of  what  had  happened,  as  he  had  learned 
them  from  the  declarations  which  the  rescuing  party  had  secured,  and 
later  I  was  able  to  have  in  my  hands  these  same  documents,  which 
Senyor  Pages  loaned  me  afterwards  when  he  became  Governor  of  this 
same  province.  Although  the  subject  does  not  belong  to  this  story,  I 
will  tell  only  that  which  justifies  what  had  been  practiced  in  these 
Missions  under  the  direction  of  the  Venerable  Pather  Junipero,  taking 
care  not  to  omit  anything  of  importance. 

It  was  said  that  the  Yuma  Indians  —  which  is  the  tribe  that  occupies 
the  shores  of  the  Colorado  River  towards  the  pass,  at  the  beginning 
when  the  Mission  was  first  founded  —  showed  signs  of  being  friendly  and 
made  no  resistance,  but  on  the  contrary  appeared  to  be  pleased  at  having 
our  people  for  their  neighbors.  So  the  two  Missions  were  founded,  that 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  Mary  Most  Holy  and  the  Mission  of 
Saints  Peter  and  Paul,  at  a  distance  of  three  leagues  from  each  other, 
both  of  them  on  this  side  of  the  river;  that  is,  on  the  side  of  the  Missions 
of  California.  These  were  established  in  accordance  with  the  plan 
which  has  been  explained  in  Chapter  LI.  As  the  Missionary  Pathers 
had  nothing  with  which  to  attract  the  Indians  or  ingratiate  themselves, 
and  as  they  could  not  easily  keep  in  communication  with  them,  their 
conversion  was  much  retarded,  although  the  Indians  did  not  fail  to 
frequent  the  settlement  and  there  traffic  with  the  soldiers  and  colonists 
by  bringing  in  their  wares  for  exchange,  and  also  obtaining  cloth  in 
exchange  for  com  which  they  were  accustomed  to  harvest  from  little 


1 


Plate  LXV 


II.     REAR   OF   SAN   GABRIEL   MISSION 


h.     CORRIDORS  AT   SAN   FERNANDO 


fct 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  243 

patches  along  the  river  edge  (though  no  very  great  amount  was  brought 
in,  as  the  converts  maintained  themselves  as  did  the  other  gentiles  from 
wild  seeds).  In  spite  of  these  difficulties,  with  the  help  of  a  good  inter- 
preter and  by  dint  of  constant  communication  with  them,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  baptizing  a  few,  but  as  these  converts  did  not  live  in  the  settle- 
ments but  in  the  gentile  villages,  having  the  same  liberty  and  the  same 
customs  as  they,  they  did  not  come  often  to  the  Mission  for  services, 
and  the  Missionaries  found  themselves  obliged  to  go  in  search  of  them 
among  the  villages,  and  to  remain  with  them  some  days  in  order  to 
repeat  the  prayers  and  to  teach  Christian  doctrine  as  well  as  to  try  to 
persuade  them  to  come  to  Mass  on  the  Feast  Days.  All  this  was  ac- 
complished with  great  labor  and  much  discoiiragement. 

To  these  obstacles  must  be  added  a  feeling  of  resentment  which 
spread  among  the  Indians  as  they  saw  how  the  pack-animals  and  the 
cattle  of  the  soldiers  and  colonists  were  constantly  eating  the  grass 
which  was  to  provide  them  with  seeds  and  from  which  they  had  hitherto 
supported  themselves  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  They  also 
saw  how  the  colonists  had  appropriated  all  the  little  patches  of  land 
along  the  river  which  could  be  utilized  and  which  they  were  now  not 
able  to  plant  as  before.  For  here  the  settlers  had  planted  their  com  and 
beans,  their  squash  and  melons,  and  even  with  this  the  cultivated 
ground  was  much  restricted,  as  only  here  and  there  were  there  bottom 
lands  in  which  the  moisture  remained  when  the  river  ran  low  during  the 
dry  season.  On  seeing  how  they  were  deprived  of  this  which  they  con- 
sidered their  principal  inheritance  and  how  their  xievv  neighbors  had 
appropriated  it  all  without  allowing  any  of  the  natives  to  make  use  of 
these  lands,  the  Arch-Enemy  used  this  to  incite  in  them  a  great  enmity 
against  the  Spaniards  (as  indeed  he  was  aware  how  these  Missionaries 
had  come  to  establish  these  towns  for  the  purpose  of  making  Christians 
of  the  natives  and  snatching  them  from  his  tyrannous  slavery  and 
dominion),  so  they  resolved  not  only  to  drive  them  out  of  the  land  but 
out  of  the  world,  and  by  putting  an  end  to  them,  get  possession  of  the 
herds  of  horses  which  they  greatly  coveted. 

Neither  the  soldiers  nor  the  settlers  knew  anything  of  this,  but  it 
seems  from  the  declarations  that  the  Missionary  Fathers  suspected 
something,  as  for  some  time  previously  they  had  been  insisting  upon  the 
soldiers  and  the  colonists  preparing  themselves  against  sudden  death. 
Almost  every  day  they  had  preached  to  them  about  this,  which  resulted 


244  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

in  the  frequent  reception  of  the  Sacraments,  urging  them  also  to  attend 
the  church  services  and  the  recital  of  the  Rosary,  the  Way  of  the  Cross, 
and  other  exercises.  So  continuous  had  been  these  religious  exercises 
that  the  settlements  seemed  more  like  convents  than  anything  else. 

One  Sunday,  just  as  the  last  Mass  was  concluded,  a  great  horde  of 
Indians  fell  upon  both  settlements  at  the  same  time,  immediately  killing 
the  Commander,  the  Sergeant  and  all  the  soldiers  and  settlers,  except  a 
very  few  who  succeeded  in  hiding  themselves.  As  soon  as  the  four 
Missionary  Fathers  saw  the  terrible  destruction,  they  began  to  exercise 
their  Apostolic  mission  by  hearing  the  Confessions  of  some  and  by  help- 
ing others  to  die,  with  fervent  exhortations,  but  their  lives  were  also 
taken  with  the  greatest  cruelty,  even  while  in  the  exercise  of  these  holy 
offices.  They  also  took  the  life  of  Captain  Don  Fernando  Rivera  y 
Moncada  and  the  soldiers  from  Monterey,  as  the  whole  eight  of  them 
had  been  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  taking  care  of  the  horses.  In 
spite  of  the  most  vaHant  resistance  they  were  all  killed  and  the  horses 
carried  off. 

One  of  the  few  soldiers  who  had  been  able  to  hide  themselves 
managed  to  get  away  and  find  his  way  to  the  first  presidio  of  Sonora, 
where  he  gave  an  account  of  what  had  happened  to  the  Captain  of  the 
garrison,  who  immediately  communicated  the  same  to  the  Commander- 
General,  who  in  ttun  ordered  the  assembling  of  the  volunteer  dagoons 
from  Cataluna  and  the  jacketed  soldiers,  as  many  as  he  could  get.  He 
dispatched  them  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pedro  Fages, 
and  with  a  second  in  command  who  was  captain  of  regular  troop.  He 
ordered  them  to  proceed  to  the  Colorado  River  and  if  they  found  that  it 
was  so,  as  the  soldier  had  declared  (who  in  the  meantime  was  put  under 
arrest),  that  they  should  in  the  first  place  ransom  all  the  captives  and 
for  this  purpose  take  with  them  clothing  and  other  things  which  the 
Indians  like.  And  when  this  was  done  to  try  to  find  out  from  those 
whom  they  might  rescue  who  had  been  the  leaders  in  the  revolt,  and 
the  to  seize  these,  and  to  bring  them  prisoners  to  Sonora,  and  upon  thie 
rest  to  inflict  condign  punishment.  He  also  instructed  them  to  com- 
municate with  the  Govempr  of  Monterey  and  to  arrange  to  have  him 
come  down  so  that  they  could  fall  upon  the  Indians  at  the  same  time 
from  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  so  accomplish  their  enterprise  with  some 
degree  of  success  and  to  make  an  example  of  these  gentiles  so  that  the 
passage  through  that  country  might  not  be  interrupted. 


4 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  245 

Commander  Pages  proceeded  with  the  expedition  to  the  Colorado 
River  and  upon  arriving  there  found  the  shores  of  the  river  near  the 
pass  deserted.  He  crossed  to  the  other  side  and  came  to  the  site  of  the 
Missions  and  there  he  found  everything  burned  to  the  ground  and  re- 
duced to  ashes;  the  dead  who  had  been  lying  exposed  he  ordered  buried; 
he  found  the  bodies  of  the  Venerable  Missionary  Fathers,  of  the  first 
Mission  Fr.  Juan  Diaz  of  the  Province  of  San  Miguel,  and  Fr.  Matias 
Moreno  of  the  Province  of  Burgos,  both  of  them  lying  exposed,  but  in 
different  places.  He  ordered  the  bodies  placed  in  boxes  in  order  that 
he  might  carry  them  back  to  Sonora. 

From  there  he  passed  on  to  the  site  of  the  other  Mission,  and  found 
it  also  burned  and  the  dead  bodies  strewn  about.  These  he  buried  as 
he  had  done  at  the  other  Mission.  But  he  did  not  find  the  bodies  of  the 
Missionaries,  who  were  the  Fathers  Fr.  Francisco  Garces  of  the  Province 
of  Aragon,  and  Fr.  Juan  Barraneche  of  the  Province  of  Santa  Helena 
of  Florida  and  Havana.  All  of  them  thought  that  these  two  men  had 
not  been  killed,  relying  on  the  fact  that  Father  Garces  was  very  much 
beloved  of  the  Indians,  as  he  had  lived  a  long  time  with  them,  going 
bout  without  any  companion  or  escort  and  never  meeting  with  any 
harm.  On  the  contrary,  they  esteemed  him  highly  and  freely  gave  him 
to  eat  of  their  native  food,  which  he  seemed  to  enjoy  quite  as  heartily 
as  any  of  them.  He  was  known  among  them  by  the  name  of  ^'Viva 
Jesus,  '  which  was  his  ordinary  salutation  to  the  Indians,  and  he  taught 
them  to  salute  one  another  in  the  same  way. 

This  Father,  with  only  an  Indian  for  a  companion,  had  visited  a 
large  number  of  unknown  tribes  along  the  Colorado  River  before  the 
colonies  were  established.  He  came  to  these  Missions  and  from  here 
went  on,  entering  the  province  of  Moki  or  Moqui  [Hopi],^^  and  from  there 
to  Sonora  without  any  of  the  gentiles  in  any  of  the  tribes  doing  him  the 
least  harm,  even  though  he  was  not  able  to  understand  their  language 
nor  to  use  his  Indian  companion  as  an  interpreter  (for  in  all  these  na- 
tions different  dialects  are  used),  but  everywhere  they  were  given  to  eat 
of  the  native  foods.  From  this  it  was  considered  likely  that  the^  had 
not  killed  him  and  his  companion,  but  that  they  were  to  be  found  among 
the  gentiles  if  they  could  only  find  out  where  these  were  in  order  to  ask 
them.  However,  God  was  not  willing  to  deprive  this  man  of  the  great 
merit  of  giving  his  blood  and  life  in  behalf  of  the  conversion  of  these 
pagans,  and  He  permitted  that  here  in  the  Mission,  where  he  was  most 


246  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

defended  by  the  presence  of  the  troops,  that  he  should  meet  with  the 
same  cruel  death  that  had  come  to  the  others,  as  they  declared  who  had 
been  saved  alive  by  being  taken  prisoners. 

The  soldiers  of  the  expedition,  as  they  went  about  gathering  up  the 
bodies,  noticed  a  little  stretch  of  ground  which  was  green  in  the  midst 
of  all  the  rest  that  had  been  burned  over  and  that  upon  it  were  growing 
some  bits  of  grass  and  some  little  flowering  plants  of  various  colors, 
some  of  them  familiar  to  us  and  some  of  them  not,  among  them  being 
found  the  camomile.  Here  the  Commander  ordered  them  to  dig,  and 
they  found  the  two  blessed  Fathers  whose  venerable  bodies  were  lying 
together,  both  of  them  with  their  sackcloth,  which  for  some  reason  had 
not  been  biumed.  Here,  as  afterwards  was  learned  from  the  declara- 
tions, an  old  Indian  woman,  who  had  thought  a  great  deal  of  both  the 
Fathers  while  they  were  alive,  had  found  them  and  when  she  saw  that 
they  were  dead  had  buried  them. 

Commander  Fages  ordered  the  bodies  placed  in  boxes  and  afterwards 
himself  brought  them  and  delivered  them  to  the  Reverend  Father 
President  of  the  Missions  of  the  Pimeria  in  Sonora,  belonging  to  the 
College  of  the  Holy  Cross  at  Quer6taro,  together  with  the  declarations 
which  had  been  taken  concerning  the  massacre  and  among  the  strange 
things  which  were  told,  and  which  I  have  read,  is  the  following  which  I 
hei:e  insert  because  of  its  very  strangeness. 

After  the  burning  of  the  Missions  that  very  night  after  the  massacre, 
a  procession  of  people  all  dressed  in  white  could  be  seen  moving  with 
lighted  candles  in  their  hands  and  carrying  Crosses  with  candle- 
sticks, and  going  back  and  forth  around  the  place  where  the  Mission 
had  stood,  singing  something  or  other,  no  one  knew  what.  After  having 
encircled  the  place  many  times  they  disappeared.  This  procession  was 
seen  night  afiter  night,  not  only  by  the  Christians  but  by  the  pagans,  and 
so  filled  them  with  terror  and  fear  that  they  abaindoned  their  lands  and 
moved  some  eight  leagues  down  the  river,  taking  with  them  the  Chris- 
tian captives.  To  be  sure,  this  sight  did  not  cause  any  terror  to  the 
Christians,  but  rather  filled  them  with  joy.  This  change  was  the  reason 
why  none  of  the  Yuma  tribe  had  been  found  at  the  place  of  the  massacre. 
The  soldiers  looked  for  them  and  found  them  about  eight  leagues  down 
the  river,  but  hidden  away  in  the  thick  underbrush  of  the  trees  along 
the  river  bank,  but  were  not  able  to  get  them  to  come  out  or  to  treat 
with  them  except  by  shooting  at  them.     This,  however,  they  did  not  do, 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  247 

but  managed  to  ransom  all  the  captives  by  making  an  exchange  of 
clothing,  the  exchange  being  effected  at  arm's  length  as  it  were.  When 
the  Commander  saw  that  for  the  present  he  could  do  nothing  more,  he 
decided  to  returti  to  Sonora  with  the  rescued  captives  and  with  the  bodies 
of  the  dead,  and  to  give  an  accotmt  to  the  Commander-General. 

When  this  officer  had  been  informed  of  all  that  had  happened,  he 
ordered  that  another  expedition  be  prepared,  in  order  to  capture  the 
leaders  about  whom  they  now  had  information  through  the  declaration 
of  the  persons  ransomed,  and  they  knew  who  had  been  the  principal 
leaders,  and  so  thought  they  could  make  an  example  of  the  bold  and 
rebellious  Yuma  tribe.  In  order  that  they  might  catch  them  he  gave 
orders  to  Lieuten,ant-Colonel  Fages,  who  was  Commander  of  the  ex- 
pedition, instructing  him  that  on  arriving  at  the  Colorado  River  he 
should  leave  there,  under  the  command  of  the  second  Captain,  the 
greater  part  of  the  troops,  and  then  taking  another  part,  he  should  cross 
the  river  and  come  on  to  these  settlements,  in  order  to  treat  with  the 
Governor  of  the  Province  about  this  matter,  to  whom  he  was  to  bring 
the  order  that  he  come  with  all  the  troops  that  he  could  spare,  and  join 
in  person  the  expedition  at  the  river,  so  that,  with  the  forces  operating 
on  both  sides  of  the  river,  they  might  be  able  to  accomplish  their  pur- 
pose. It  was  on  this  mission  that  Commander  Fages  arrived  in  San 
Gabriel  on  26th  of  March,  the  same  day  upon  which  the  Governor  had 
started  out  for  the  founding  of  the  Channel  Missions,  as  I  have  already 
related. 

As  soon  as  the  Governor  received  the  documents  which  Captain 
Fages  delivered  to  him,  he  returned  to  San  Gabriel,  that  they  might 
both  discuss  the  matter.  They  then  decided  to  postpone  the  expedition 
until  September,  when  the  river  would  be  at  low  water  and  easily  forded. 
In  order  that  the  forces  firom  Sonora  might  not  be  unnecessarily  de- 
tained so  long  a  time  at  the  river,  Captain  Fages  returned  thither  and 
ordered  them  to  return  to  Sonora,  taking  with  them  the  documents  for 
the  Commander-General,  in  which  a  full  account  was  given  of  what  they 
had  agreed  upon.  Then  Captain  Fages  rettuned  with  his  troops  to 
San  Gabriel  to  wait  for  the  appointed  time  to  come.  The  expedition 
proceeded  to  carry  out  its  plans  in  September  but  did  not  bring  about 
the  pacification  of  the  Indians  of  that  tribe,  although  they  killed  a  great 
many  of  the  pagans,  without  the  loss  of  any  of  the  soldiers.  A  few  were 
woimded  but  not  seriously,  but  for  all  that  they  tried  so  hard,  the  pass 


24B 


FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


I 


remained  impassable.  With  this  attempt  it  seems  that  the  Commander- 
General  and  the  Governor  were  disillusioned  as  to  the  new  system  they 
had  planned  for  the  subjugation  of  the  Indians,  as  they  learned  that  it 
was  not  so  well  adapted  to  the  situation  as  our  own  settlements.  In 
view  of  the  great  failure,  after  all  the  expense  incurred  and  all  entirely 
without  any  results,  it  seems  that  they  were  obliged  to  abandon  their 
plans  which  they  ha4  projected  for  the  Establishments  along  the  Chan- 
nel, for  they  had  it  in  mind  to  put  into  the  hands  of  the  Missionaries 
simply  the  spiritual  part,  allowing  the  converts  to  live  and  to  take  care 
of  themselves  as  they  did  before,  and  to  enjoy  the  same  liberty  as  the 
other  gentiles. 


I 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  249 


CHAPTER  LIV 

Continuing  the  Narrative  of  the  Events  Preceding  the  Founding  of  the 
Presidio  and  Mission  of  Santa  Barbara. 

AS  soon  as  the  Governor  found  that  the  suspension  of  the  expedition 
to  the  Colorado  River  woiild  not  require  his  presence  there  until 
September,  and  as  soon  as  Captain  Pages  had  departed,  as  we  have 
said,  the  Governor  left  San  Gabriel  in  order  to  have  a  hand  in  founding 
the  settlements  in  the  Channel.  He  arrived  in  the  middle  of  April  at 
the  place  where  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura  had  been  begim  and 
saw  the  site  selected  and  all  the  preparations  that  were  being  made  for 
the  establishing  of  the  Mission,  both  in  regard  to  the  spiritual  and  the 
secular  work,  in  accord  with  the  plans  adopted  in  all  the  other  Mis- 
sions. But  he  did  not  say  a  word,  although  (as  we  found  out  afterwards) 
he  had  formed  the  plan  of  establishing  these  Missions  in  line  with  the 
new  system  adopted  for  the  Colorado  River.  The  great  difference  be- 
tween the  two,  as  sho"wn  by  the  effects  just  described,  as  we  afterwards 
learned  from  Captain  Pages,  may  have  served  to  open  his  eyes  and  to 
make  him  change  his  plans.  At  any  rate  he  said  not  a  word  nor  did  he 
manifest  any  opposition  to  the  methods  he  saw  being  employed  in  the 
Mission  of  San  Buenaventura. 

Soon  after  he  spoke  of  going  on  and  starting  the  founding  of  the 
presidio  of  Santa  Barbara  and  the  Venerable  Pather  President  was  of 
the  same  mind.  He  left  as  temporary  Missionary  in  San  Buenaventura, 
Pather  Cambon,  to  serve  until  the  vessels  could  arrive,  bringing  the  six 
Missionaries  who  were  expected.  The  Governor  left  as  an  escort  for 
the  new  Mission  a  Sergeant  and  fourteen  soldiers.  This  was  more  than 
at  any  time  had  been  stationed  with  any  new  Mission,  and  shortly  ten 
more  were  added  to  the  number  on  the  return  of  Captain  Pages,  who 
was  waiting  for  the  month  of  September  to  arrive  in  order  to  carry  out 
the  Colorado  River  expedition. 

All  the  rest  of  the  troops  went  on  to  take  part  in  the  founding  of 
the  presidio  of  Santa  Barbara  under  the  command  of  the  Lieutenant 
and  Ensign,  and  also  with  the  Governor  and  his  ten  soldiers  from 


250  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Monterey.  The  Venerable  Father  President  also  accompanied  the 
force.  They  traveled  along  the  coast  or  beach  of  the  Channel  in  front 
of  the  islands  which  form  it,  and  after  going  about  nine  leagues  from 
the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura,  which  they  judged  to  be  about  half 
way  to  the  end  of  the  Channel,  the  Governor  ordered  the  troops  to 
halt.  Then,  with  the  help  of  the  Rev.  Father  President  and  some  of 
the  soldiers,  he  explored  the  region  and  they  found  a  very  favorable 
site  for  the  location  of  the  presidio  within  view  of  the  beach,  which  here 
forms  a  bay,  and  in  which  the  vessels  might  anchor,  and  where  there 
was  a  large  Indian  village.  The  Governor  ordered  camp  to  be  made 
in  said  suitable  place  and  then  began  the  cutting  of  timber  for  the  large 
f  Cross,  the  little  hut  for  the  first  chapel,  and  the  table  for  the  altar. 
The  Venerable  Father  President  blessed  the  ground  and  the  Holy 
Cross  which  was  set  up  and  venerated.  He  also  said  the  first  Mass 
which  was  attended  by  the  Governor  and  officers  and  all  the  troops, 
then  his  Reverence  preached  an  eloquent  sermon,  concluding  the  cer- 
emony by  the  formal  act  of  taking  possession  of  the  site,  without  the 
slightest  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  natives. 

The  next  day  they  began  to  cut  the  wood  for  the  construction  of 
the  chapel,  the  houses  for  the  Father,  for  the  officers,  barracks,  store- 
houses, and  dwelling-houses  for  the  married  soldiers.  The  stockade 
was  also  built.  Here  the  Venerable  Father  remained  quite  a  while, 
until  the  Governor  told  him  that  he  would  not  proceed  to  the  founding 
of  the  Mission  until  the  presidio  was  concluded.  Upon  hearing  this, 
his  Reverence  said:  "As  I  am  not  needed  here,  seeing  the  Mission  is 
not  to  be  founded,  I  propose  to  go  on  to  Monterey,  as  it  cannot  be 
very  long  before  the  vessels  will  come,  and  from  there  I  will  send  down 
the  Father,  and  in  the  meantime,  in  order  that  all  these  people  here 
may  not  be  without  Mass  and  without  a  spiritual  adviser,  I  will  call 
hither  one  of  the  Missionaries  from  San  Juan  Capistrano."  This  plan 
he  carried  out,  but  before  going  on  he  confirmed  all  those  among  the 
troops  who  had  not  previously  received  this  Holy  Sacrament. 

He  left  the  garrison  of  Santa  Barbara  for  Monterey  full  of  joy  at 
having  seen  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura  founded  at  last  after 
so  many  years  of  long  waiting.  On  his  way  he  visited  the  two  Mis- 
sions of  San  Luis  Obispo  and  San  Antonio  and  in  both  of  them  he 
confirmed  all  those  who  had  been  baptized  since  March,  when  he  had 
previously  administered  Confirmation,  and  he  retired  to  his  own  Mis- 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  251 

sion  in  the  month  of  June.  His  arrival  was  opportune,  for  on  that  same 
day,  a  little  before  his  arrival  at  Monterey,  he  met  a  cotirier  who  was 
bringing  documents  and  letters  from  Mexico  City,  which  the  vessels 
had  brought  out,  these  having  anchored  in  that  port  on  the  2d  of 
June,  of  the  year  1782.  Although  he  rejoiced  at  the  news  of  the  arrival 
of  the  vessel,  when  he  was  told  that  no  Fathers  had  arrived,  he  was 
overcome  with  sadness,  as  I  shall  tell  in  the  next  chapter. 


252  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  LV 

The  Channel  Settlements  are  Suspended  to  the  Great  Regret  and  Grief  of 
the  Venerable  Father  Junipero. 


A 


T  the  same  time  that  the  Commander-General  ordered  the  re- 
cruiting of  troops  for  the  Channel  settlements,  the  new  Viceroy, 
His  Excellency,  Don  Martin  de  Mayorga,  asked  of  the  Reverend  Father 
Guardian  of  our  College,  in  the  name  of  said  Commander-General,  for 
six  friars  to  go  out  as  Missionaries  to  the  three  Missions.  The  Ven- 
erable Council  of  the  College  appointed  these  men  from  among  those 
who  volunteered,  and  one  of  them  had  an  opportunity  of  writing,  so 
that  the  word  reached  these  Missions,  and  the  Venerable  Father  Presi- 
dent felt  quite  sure  that  the  Fathers  would  arrive  on  the  vessel.  But 
in  this  he  was  mistaken,  as  I  will  now  relate. 

After  the  naming  of  the  six  Missionaries,  these  went  to  His  Excel- 
lency to  ask  for  the  customary  donations  of  vestments  and  utensils 
for  church  and  vestry,  as  well  as  for  the  stipends  for  the  Missions  and 
for  transportation.  They  also  asked  for  the  donations  for  the  house 
and  field.  His  Excellency  ordered  all  these  things  prepared  with  the 
exception  of  the  equipment  of  house  and  field,  excusing  himself  by 
saying  that  the  Commander-General  and  the  Governor  of  the  Province 
had  written  to  say  that  these  were  not  necessary  and  should  not  be 
given.  Upon  receiving  this  reply  the  Fathers  inquired,  with  all  due 
caution,  into  the  cause  or  motives  for  the  change,  and  were  informed 
that  it  was  the  plan  to  found  these  three  Missions  according  to  the 
t  new  system,  that  is,  in  the  same  way  as  had  been  founded  the  two  Mis- 
sions of  the  Colorado  River,  as  we  have  already  described. 

As  soon  as  they  were  sure  of  this  they  presented  a  written  statement 
/  to  the  Venerable  Council,  excusing  themselves  for  not  being  willing 
to  go  under  the  conditions  which  they  had  discovered,  as  they  believed 
that  according  to  this  new  plan  it  would  not  be  possible  to  secure  the 
conversion  of  the  gentiles  (the  thing  which  His  Majesty  desired)  be- 
cause those  of  the  Channel  were  of  the  same  kind  as  those  of  the  rest  of 
New  California,  for  they  were  in  the  very  center  of  the  conquered 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  253 

region,  and  their  reduction  could  be  secured  only  by  their  interest  in 
what  we  might  have  to  give  them  to  eat  or  to  wear,  and  so,  little  by 
little,  would  they  be  brought  to  understand  spiritual  good  and  evil.  As 
soon  as  the  Missionaries  would  have  nothing  to  offer  them,  they  would 
fail  to  win  their  affection.  Besides,  if  they  were  not  to  live  together  in 
a  town  and  within  sound  of  the  bell,  but  dispersed  among  their  villages 
in  the  same  condition  as  they  were  in  when  they  were  naked  and  hungry 
gentiles,  it  would  be  impossible  to  get  them  to  leave  their  pagan  cus- 
toms, nor  would  it  be  possible  to  civilize  them,  as  His  Majesty  had  so 
constantly  enjoined  upon  the  Missionaries  dedicated  to  this  work  to 
do,  as  is  shown  by  the  laws  for  the  Indies.  Now,  as  by  the  new  system 
this  end  was  not  likely  to  be  reached,  it  would  be  useless  for  His  Majesty 
to  spend  the  annual  stipends  and  to  go  to  the  other  expense  of  trans- 
porting them  by  sea  and  land  to  the  field;  and  though  they  had  volun- 
teered for  the  service,  they  now  begged  to  be  excused. 

As  the  Reverend  Father  Guardian  and  the  Fathers  of  the  Council 
of  the  College  saw  that  the  reasons  adduced  by  the  Missionaries  under 
appointment  were  well  founded,  they  presented  the  same  to  His  Excel- 
lency, but  as  the  decision  of  the  matter  did  not  depend  on  the  Vice- 
regal government,  but  upon  the  Commander-General,  who  was  more 
than  five  hundred  leagues  from  Mexico  City,  there  was  a  long  delay 
in  receiving  his  answer,  and  the  departure  of  the  Missionaries  was  sus- 
pended. All  this  the  Reverend  Father  Guardian  wrote  to  the  Ven- 
erable Father  Junipero,  instructing  him  to  refrain  from  the  founding 
of  the  Missions  until  further  orders,  which  would  be  issued  when  the 
system  to  be  employed  was  to  be  the  same  as  that  they  had  already 
followed,  and  with  which  so  much  had  already  been  gained. 

This  unexpected  news  greatly  distressed  the  fervent  heart  of  the 
zealous  Prelate,  as  he  considered  it  a  snare  of  the  Enemy  in  order  to 
hinder  the  conversion  of  those  pagans.  But  he  did  not  lose  his  inward 
calm  and  peace;  but  rather,  yielding  himself  more  fully  to  God  in  his 
desires,  he  accepted  the  Divine  Will  and  resigned  himself  to  the  orders 
of  his  Prelate,  as  the  slightest  suggestion  from  that  source  he  had 
always  taken  as  a  command  to  be  strictly  fulfilled.  This  action  on 
the  part  of  the  Prelate  put  our  Venerable  Father  in  a  dilemma,  for  one 
of  the  three  Missions  he  had  already  founded,  as  he  had  been  so  very 
certain  that  at  least  two  Friars  would  come.  Now  he  learned  that  they 
not  only  would  not  come,  but  he  had  the  order  from  the  Reverend 


254  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Father  Guardian  to  suspend  the  founding  of  them.  He  was  in  doubt 
as  to  whether  he  should  retire  the  Missionary  from  the  Mission  founded 
at  San  Buenaventura,  seeing  it  was  just  at  the  very  beginning,  and  if 
he  did  not,  and  allowed  the  Father  to  remain,  would  he  not  be  remiss 
in  his  obedience  to  the  will  of  the  Prelate?  This  the  Venerable  Father 
did  not  wish  to  decide  by  himself,  as  he  feared  he  would  err  on  account 
of  his  great  desire  to  ever  increase  the  number  of  the  Missions,  and  he 
had  never  allowed  obstacles  to  hinder,  but  always  trusted  in  God,  who 
is  the  Owner  of  this  spiritual  planting;  so  in  order  not  to  proceed  on  his 
own  judgment,  he  desired  to  hold  a  meeting  of  the  Missionaries  nearest 
at  hand  in  order  to  consult  them. 

As  there  were  in  his  own  Mission  his  companion  and  one  extra 
Father,  he  wrote  to  the  four  nearest  Missions  asking  that  one  from  each 
should  come  to  Monterey,  and  when  we  had  gathered  together,  he  read 
to  us  the  letter  from  the  Reverend  Father  Guardian,  and  then  he  told 
us  all  the  news  concerning  the  way  in  which  the  Mission  of  San  Buena- 
ventura had  been  fotmded,  using  the  same  system  as  prevailed  in  all 
the  rest,  how  the  Governor  himself  had  seen  it  and  had  not  said  a  word, 
for  if  he  had  any  secret  purpose  in  the  matter,  he  had  not  expressed  it 
until  now.  He  thought  that  perhaps,  in  view  of  the  bad  results  ob- 
tained in  the  Colorado  River  Missions,  where  there  was  such  a  loss  of 
life  and  very  unusual  expenses,  not  only  on  account  of  what  was  de- 
stroyed, but  also  on  accotmt  of  the  effort  to  punish  the  offenders,  and 
all  without  the  slightest  results,  he  might  have  changed  his  mind  as 
to  the  system.  However,  the  Prelate  desired  our  opinion  as  to  whether 
the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura  was  to  remain  or  not. 

Having  been  made  to  understand  the  situation,  which  was  dis- 
cussed thoroughly  by  a  complete  expression  of  opinion,  it  was  finally 
decided  that,  in  view  of  all  that  had  been  said,  and  also  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  the  equipment  for  this  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura  had  been 
sent  out  since  the  year  1769,  including  the  sacred  vessels,  the  utensils 
for  the  Church  and  vestry,  as  well  as  the  things  needful  for  house  and 
field,  and  these  had  been  in  deposit  on  the  field  since  the  year  1771,  and 
also  considering  that  there  were  two  extra  Missionaries  who  could 
act  as  the  ministers  of  this  new  settlement,  the  Mission  was  to  remain, 
as  one  that  had  been  already  established  before  the  order  for  sus- 
pension had  been  received,  and  therefore  to  be  conducted  according 
to  the  old  system.    This  was  done,  because  it  was  thought  that  to 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  255 

suspend  it  now  would  bring  about  very  serious  consequences,  and 
would  be  a  drawback  to  the  whole  Conquest. 

His  Reverence  accepted  the  opinion  of  us  all  and  was  quieted  in 
his  heart  and  conscience.  He  immediately  appointed  the  two  Mis- 
sionaries for  it,  in  order  that  they  might  set  out  for  their  destination 
without  loss  of  time.  By  this  provision,  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos 
was  left  without  an  extra  Father,  and  the  Venerable  Father  President 
would  be  hindered  in  his  visits  of  Confirmation  in  the  other  Missions. 
A  full  account  of  what  he  had  decided  upon  and  done  was  sent  by  the 
vessels  to  the  Reverend  Father  Guardian  of  the  College  and  the  Ven- 
erable Council,  begging  them  that,  early  in  the  following  year,  at  least 
two  more  Missionaries  should  be  sent  out  to  act  as  extra  priests,  as 
under  the  present  shortage  in  workers,  he  would  be  hindered  in  his 
work  of  visiting  and  confirming,  and  also  because,  in  case  of  the  sick- 
ness or  the  death  of  any  Missionary,  there  would  be  no  one  to  supply 
his  place,  and  it  would  be  very  hard  for  any  one  of  them  to  continue 
in  his  post  alone. 

From  this  it  came  about  that  the  fervent  and  industrious  Prelate 
was  not  able  to  go  out  and  make  any  visits  until  the  following  year, 
and  of  these  I  will  speak  in  the  following  chapter.  But  he  gave  him- 
self the  more  assiduously  to  the  spiritual  work  of  his  Mission,  and  God 
comforted  him  by  sending  to  him  many  pagan  people,  so  that  entire 
villages  came  in,  and  he  was  kept  busy  instructing  them  in  the  cat- 
echism, and  then  baptizing  them  as  soon  as  they  were  sufficiently  in- 
structed. Confirmation  then  followed  and  a  great  mmiber  were  added 
to  the  Church.  This  spiritual  fruitage,  which  was  gathered  in  great 
abundance  in  his  Mission,  was  a  source  of  great  comfort  to  him  on  the 
one  hand,  and  on  the  other  an  affliction,  as  it  reminded  him  constantly 
of  the  Channel  of  Santa  Barbara  and  of  the  larger  harvest  which 
might  have  been  gathered.  He  therefore  the  more  unceasingly  asked 
of  the  Lord  for  laborers  for  that  Vineyard,  which,  as  he  had  already 
personally  observed,  was  ripe  for  the  harvest. 


2S6  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  LVI 

Two  Missionaries  Arrive  to  Help  and  the  Venerable  Father  President  Sets 

Out  to  Make  His  Last  Visit  to  the  Missions  in  the 

South. 

WHEN  the  Reverend  Father  Guardian  learned  from  the  letters 
of  the  Father  President  that  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaventura 
had  been  established  on  the  same  basis  as  the  others  (which  he  approved) 
and  also  that  there  were  no  extra  helpers,  he  presented  the  need  to  the 
Council  of  the  College.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  there  was  such  a 
scarcity  of  Friars  that  lived  in  the  Commimity,  that  those  in  the  Con- 
vent scarcely  exceeded  the  number  of  those  who  were  engaged  in  these 
nine  Missions,  and  also  that  not  a  word  of  news  had  been  received 
from  Spain,  they  still  decided  that  two  Friars  should  be  sent  to  supply 
the  need  which  might  occur  here.  These  were  gotten  ready  and  sent 
to  San  Bias,  where  they  embarked  without  incident,  and  arrived  safe 
and  sound  at  this  port  on  the  2d  of  June,  of  the  year  1783.  After 
resting  a  few  days  in  this  Mission  and  in  that  of  Santa  Clara,  they 
went  on  by  land  to  San  Carlos  of  Monterey,  there  to  receive  the  bless- 
ing of  the  Prelate,  whom  they  found  quite  sick  from  a  severe  pain 
in  his  chest. 

He  had  suffered  for  many  years  from  this  malady  on  his  breast, 
from  the  time  he  was  in  College,  although  he  had  never  complained, 
nor  had  he  ever  taken  the  least  care  to  cure  himself,  paying  as  little 
attention  to  this  trouble  as  to  the  sore  and  the  swelling  on  his  foot  and 
leg.  Whenever  we  spoke  to  him  about  applying  some  remedy  he 
would  generally  say:  *' Never  mind,  we  might  make  it  worse;  I  shall 
get  along  somehow,"  and  then  he  would  repeat  the  words  of  Saint 
Agatha:  Medicinam  carnalem  corpori  meo  nunquam  exhibui — '*I  have 
never  applied  carnal  medicine  to  my  body."  This  pain  and  choking 
of  the  chest,  although  he  never  said  whether  it  pained  him  or  not,  must, 
I  am  sure,  have  been  severe,  as  I  remember  the  custom  his  Rever- 
ence had  in  many  of  the  sermons  which  he  preached  in  his  Missions 
among  the  faithful,  and  of  which  I  have  already  spoken,  to  move  his 
audience  to  weep  over  their  sins  and  to  feel  sorrow  for  their  wrongdoing. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  257 

Besides  the  chain  which  he  used  to  take  out,  in  emulation  of  San  1 
Francisco  Solano,  and  with  which  he  used  to  chastise  himself  in  the 
pulpit  in  the  most  cruel  manner,  he  more  generally  would  produce  a 
large  stone  which  he  kept  concealed  in  the  pulpit.  When  he  had  finished 
the  sermon  and  come  to  the  Act  of  Contrition,  he  would  lift  up  high  in 
his  left  hand  the  Crucifix  and  then,  taking  the  stone  in  the  other,  he  / 
would  begin  to  give  himself  blows  with  such  force  that  those  in  the 
audience  often  feared  he  would  break  his  chest  and  die  in  the  pulpit. 

He  used  also  to  have  another  device  to  move  his  audience  which  / 
he  used  principally  in  his  sermons  about  hell  and  eternity.  It  was  even 
more  serious,  painful  and  dangerous  to  his  breast.  He  had  a  large 
taper  with  four  wicks  which  he  lighted,  in  order  that  his  hearers  might 
see  the  soul  in  sin  and  under  condemnation.  He  would  conclude  by 
opening  his  breast  (and  for  this  purpose  he  wore  a  tunic  and  habit 
which  opened  in  front),  and  then  upon  his  bare  flesh  he  would  apply 
the  great  flame  of  the  taper,  while  his  hearers  were  melted  to  tears,  some 
at  the  thought  of  their  own  sins,  and  others  from  compassion  for  the 
zealous  preacher,  judging  that  without  doubt  he  had  badly  burned 
his  breast.  But  the  fervent  Father  would  come  down  from  the  pulpit 
without  any  sign  of  pain  and  he  would  never  give  the  least  indication 
that  he  was  suffering  from  what  he  had  done,  although  it  is  only  natural 
to  suppose  that  he  suffered  much,  and  that  his  breast  must  have  been 
bruised  and  burned.  From  these  customs  it  came  about  that  he  en- 
dured constantly  a  certain  heaviness  of  the  chest,  from  which  he  was 
relieved  only  when  he  had  discharged  or  vomited  certain  phlegms. 
One  of  the  occasions  on  which  he  felt  the  worst  was  when  the  two  Mis- 
sionaries arrived  at  the  Mission  of  Monterey.  The  Venerable  Prelate 
received  them  with  the  affectionate  embrace  of  a  father,  rejoicing 
greatly  in  their  arrival,  but  regretting  at  the  same  time  that  a  larger 
number  could  not  have  come  out  in  order  to  make  possible  the  estab- 
lishing of  the  other  Missions  in  the  Channel.  He  thanked  God  fer- 
vently and  accepted  His  Holy  Will,  continuing  to  repeat  his  prayer  that 
laborers  be  sent  out  for  the  work  in  the  Channel. 

As  soon  as  he  had  some  one  to  take  his  place  in  his  absence,  he  deter- 
mined to  leave  at  the  Mission  one  of  those  who  had  just  arrived,  who  was 
the  Father  Fr.  Diego  Noboa,  from  the  Province  of  Santiago  de  Galicia, 
and  to  go  down  with  the  other,  named  Fr.  Juan  Riob6,  from  the  same 
Province,  to  San  Diego,  the  latter  to  supply  any  lack  that  there  might 


2S8  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

be  in  the  Southern  Missions,  and  then  his  Reverence  wotild  make  his 
last  visit  to  those  Missions  and  confirm  their  young  converts.  The 
sailing  of  the  vessel  was  delayed  until  August  and  during  this  time 
his  malady  in  the  chest  grew  worse,  so  that  we  all  judged  he  would 
be  in  no  condition  to  set  sail,  much  less  to  return  by  foot  over  that 
long  road. 

The  Venerable  Father  President  must  have  felt  the  same,  for  on  the 
day  of  sailing  he  wrote  to  bid  me  good-bye,  and  gave  me  particular 
charge  of  the  duties  of  his  office  and  finished  his  letter  with  much  grace 
and  resignation:  "I  write  all  this  as  it  may  be  that  I  may  return  by 
mail  J  as  I  feel  very  seriously  ill.  Please  commend  me  to  God."  In 
spite  of  his  being  so  sick,  the  fervent  flame  of  zeal  which  burned  in  his 
heart  made  him  postpone  all  thought  of  his  own  health  or  even  his  life 
in  his  love  for  his  fellowmen,  as  he  did  not  want  to  deprive  them  of  the 
spiritual  benefits  of  the  Holy  Sacrament  of  Confirmation.  And  as  he 
saw  that  he  had  only  until  the  following  July  in  which  to  exercise  this 
right,  before  the  ten  years  for  which  it  was  granted  would  expire,  he  did 
not  wish  to  omit  any  opportunity  to  be  diligent  in  its  use,  in  order  that 
he  might  give  to  them  this  spiritual  good,  praying  that  God  in  whose 
behalf  he  undertook  the  voyage  would  give  His  aid.  With  this  firm 
confidence  he  set  out  with  the  other  Father,  and  arrived  without  incident 
in  San  Diego  in  September. 

He  was  no  better  of  his  maladies  on  arrival  there  but  greatly  animated 
in  fervor  and  spirit,  so  that  immediately  he  arranged  with  the  Fathers 
for  the  preparation  of  the  neophytes  that  he  might  confirm  them. 
This  he  did,  and  then  started  out  on  the  long  journey  back  to  Monterey 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy  leagues,  making  stops  in  each  Mission  and 
striving  not  to  leave  a  single  Christian  without  Confirmation,  as  this 
was  to  be  the  last  visit  he  would  make  in  which  he  would  exercise  this 
faculty.  In  the  Mission  of  San  Gabriel,  as  the  Missionaries  afterwards 
wrote  me,  he  was  so  very  bad  of  his  chest  that  they  thought  he  would 
die,  but  he  did  not  cease  to  recite  the  prayers,  celebrate  Mass,  and  to. 
confirm,  though  he  did  so  with  such  suffering  that  the  little  Indian 
altar-boys  who  served  the  Mass  would  say  to  the  other  Fathers,  with 
much  sympathy  and  sorrow,  whilst  the  tears  would  start  in  their  eyes: 
"Fathers,  the  old  Father  (for  so  they  called  him)  wants  to  die."  With 
that  the  Fathers  were  greatly  moved  and  felt  a  great  sorrow  of  heart, 
and  more  still  when  he  had  confirmed  all  and  was  ready  to  set  out  for 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  259 

San  Buenaventura;  they  greatly  feared  he  would  die  on  the  road,  as  it  is 
a  distance  of  thirty  leagues  with  no  place  intermediate,  except  the  homes 
of  pagan  population. 

But  God  gave  him  strength  to  arrive  at  his  dearly  beloved  Mission 
of  San  Buenaventura  (the  last  which  he  had  founded  the  year  before) 
and  when  he  saw  there  quite  a  number  of  Christians  where  the  previous 
year  he  had  seen  only  pagans,  he  could  hardly  restrain  his  joy,  and 
thanked  God.  All  these  he  confirmed  with  especial  gladness  and  rejoic- 
ing of  heart,  so  that  he  seemed  to  be  greatly  relieved  of  his  maladies,  and 
left  that  place  much  better  in  regard  to  the  choking  sensation  in  his 
chest. 

He  went  through  the  villages  of  the  gentiles  along  the  twenty 
leagues  of  the  coast  of  the  Channel  of  Santa  Barbara,  where  there  were 
not  less  than  twenty  Indian  towns,  well  constructed  and  populated  with 
many  people,  and  in  each  one  of  them  his  heart  melted  and  his  tears 
flowed  as  he  thought  how  he  had  not  been  allowed  to  water  that  field 
with  his  blood  in  order  to  bring  about  their  subjugation,  because  the 
field  had  not  been  put  into  his  hands.  But  he  did  try  to  water  it  with 
his  tears,  which  were  bom  of  his  most  fervent  desires.  He  could  not 
help  bursting  out  with  the  prayer:  ^^Rogate  Dominum  me  sis  ^  ui  mittat 
operarios  in  messem  suam."^^  (Matt,  ix:  38.)  The  lack  of  laborers  un- 
doubtedly shortened  his  life,  because  of  the  very  intense  desires  he  had 
for  the  conversion  of  the  gentiles,  for  since  the  moment  in  which  he  re- 
ceived the  news  that  no  Missionaries  were  to  be  sent  for  the  Channel, 
his  heart  was  greatly  oppressed  and  he  offered  himself  more  fervently 
to  God  our  Lord  in  the  work  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith. 

On  leaving  the  Channel  he  continued  his  journey,  passing  through 
the  two  Missions  of  San  Antonio  and  San  Luis  Obispo  in  which  he 
stopped  to  confirm  the  newly  baptized  converts,  and  so,  covered  with 
merit,  he  returned  to  his  own  Mission  of  San  Carlos,  in  January  of  1784, 
much  better  in  health  than  when  he  had  set  sail  in  August,  causing  all  to 
wonder  and  rejoice  at  seeing  him  once  more  at  home,  when  they  had 
thought  they  would  never  see  him  again. 

But  his  arrival  at  the  Mission  was  not  a  sign  to  give  rest  to  his 
weary  body,  which  had  been  burdened  with  the  long  journey,  added  to 
his  more  than  seventy  years  of  age.  With  greater  fervor  than  ever  he 
applied  himself  to  the  task  of  cultivating  his  Vineyard,  instructing  the 
gentiles,  baptizing  and  confirming  them,  and  performing  the  other 


26o  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

routine  exercises  in  which  his  time  was  fully  taken  up.  He  celebrated 
the  Lenten  season  and  Holy  Week  and  performed  the  exercises  with  his 
accustomed  devotion,  and  after  Easter  when  he  had  finished  all  the  work 
of  hearing  Confessions  and  giving  Holy  Communion  in  compliance  with 
the  precepts  of  the  Church,  he  prepared  to  come  to  these  Missions  of  the 
North  to  make  his  last  visit. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  261 


CHAPTER  LVII 

The  Last  Visit  Which  He  Made  to  These  Missions  in  the  North, 

AS  soon  as  the  Venerable  Father  President  was  somewhat  freed  from 
the  more  urgent  tasks  of  his  Mission,  principally  those  in  the  ful- 
fillment of  the  precepts  of  the  Church,  he  set  out  for  these  Missions  in 
order  to  administer  Confirmation  for  the  last  time  and  to  bless  the 
Church  of  the  Mission  of  Santa  Clara  for  which  its  Missionaries  had 
invited  him,  as  they  had  resolved  to  dedicate  the  building  on  the  i6th 
of  May.  His  Reverence  left  his  Mission  at  the  end  of  April,  but  passed 
on  without  stopping  at  Santa  Clara,  postponing  Confirmations  there 
until  his  return,  and  so  came  on  to  this  Mission  of  Our  Father  San 
Francisco,  the  point  farthest  away,  where  he  arrived  on  the  4th  of  May 
in  fairly  good  health.  His  presence  was  a  source  of  great  joy  to  me  in 
this,  the  most  northerly  of  the  subjugated  territory.  It  was  nine 
months  since  the  Venerable  Father,  my  Master  and  Prof essor,  had  writ- 
ten me,  bidding  me  good-bye,  as  if  we  were  never  to  see  each  other 
again.  Therefore  I  was  in  the  liveliest  hopes  of  being  able  to  enjoy  the 
great  happiness  of  his  beloved  companionship  for  a  few  days  in  this 
Mission;  but  God  disposed  otherwise  than  what  we  had  desired,  for  he 
had  been  here  only  two  days  when  I  was  obliged  to  leave  in  all  haste  for 
Santa  Clara,  as  word  had  been  brought  that  the  head  Missionary  of 
that  Mission,  the  Rev.  Father  Fr.  Joseph  Antonio  Murguia,  was  seri- 
ously ill. 

As  soon  as  I  received  the  letter  I  went  to  the  Venerable  Prelate  for 
his  benediction,  as  I  must  needs  leave  him  there  to  attend  to  the  Con- 
firmations, and  then  set  out.  I  found  the  sick  man  suffering  from  a 
high  fever;  I  prepared  him  for  the  reception  of  the  Holy  Sacraments 
and  on  the  nth  day  of  the  same  month  of  May  he  gave  up  his  soul  to 
his  Creator,  and  we  all  piously  believe  that  he  must  have  gone  to  rest 
among  those  of  the  Church  Triumphant  and  to  receive  from  the  Lord 
the  reward  for  his  ardent  zeal  in  the  conversion  of  souls,  in  which  exer- 
cise he  had  been  occupied  for  thirty-six  years,  twenty  in  the  Missions 
among  the  Pames  of  the  Sierra  Gorda,  where  he  was  the  means  of  con- 


262  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

verting  many  souls,  and  where  he  built  a  large  church,  which  was  the 
first  in  those  regions  to  be  built  of  stone. 

He  afterwards  came  from  t^ose  Missions  to  the  Califomias,  working 
five  years  in  Old  California  and  delivering  over  those  Missions  to  the 
Reverend  Dominican  Fathers;  from  there  he  came  to  this  New  California 
and  founded  the  Mission  of  our  Seraphic  Mother,  Santa  Clara,  leaving 
I  in  it  when  he  died  more  than  six  hundred  converted  Indians.  In  this 
Mission  he  had  just  finished  building  a  large  church  (which,  according 
to  the  Reverend  Father  President,  is  the  best  and  the  largest  in  all 
these  settlements)  and  in  which  work  the  late  Father  had  been  not  only 
master,  director  and  overseer,  but  also  day  laborer,  teaching  the  con- 
verted Indians  how  to  do  the  work.  Having  concluded  it  in  order  to 
celebrate  the  dedication  on  the  i6th  of  May,  God  saw  fit  to  take  him  to 
himself  on  the  nth  of  the  month,  without  doubt,  as  we  piously  believe, 
in  order  that  he  might  receive  a  larger  reward  in  heaven. 

The  especially  warm  affection  which  I  always  felt  for  this  religious 
since  the  year  1750  when  we  first  met  and  began  to  be  companions  in 
the  ministry,  and  until  his  death,  when  God  permitted  that  I  was  to  be 
the  one  to  administer  to  him  the  Holy  Sacraments  to  assist  him  in  his 
last  hoiurs,  and  also  the  great  affection  which  he  had  for  me,  makes  it 
right  that  I  should  record  here  this  tribute  to  his  memory.  No  less  was 
the  affection  which  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  had  for  him,  as  he 
always  considered  him  a  model  religious,  and  a  great  laborer  in  the  Vine- 
yard of  the  Lord,  and  it  will  be  remembered  from  certain  letters  which 
I  have  copied  and  recorded  in  this  narrative,  how  earnestly  he  had  re- 
quested that  he  should  be  sent  out  to  these  new  Missions.  In  spite  of 
this  great  affection  which  he  had  for  him,  his  Reverence  was  not  able  to 
be  present  at  his  death-bed  on  account  of  the  violence  of  the  fever  and 
the  long  distance  of  fifteen  leagues  to  the  place  where  the  Reverend 
Father  was  occupied  in  administering  Confirmation  at  this  Mission  of 
Our  Father.  As  soon  as  he  had  finished,  after  having  confirmed  all 
the  converts,  he  came  on  to  Santa  Clara  in  company  with  the  Governor  j 
who  had  been  invited  to  act  as  sponsor  at  the  dedication  of  the  church. 

They  arrived  at  the  Mission  on  the  isth,  in  the  morning,  when  we 
received  them  almost  in  silence,  on  account  of  the  great  grief  which 
almost  sealed  our  lips  in  view  of  the  loss  of  the  Father  who  had  worked 
so  hard  to  build  this  church,  which  they  were  now  coming  to  bless,  and 
from  which,  five  days  before  the  dedication,  God  had  taken  him  away  in 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  263 

order  to  give  him  his  reward  in  heaven.  In  the  afternoon  the  ceremony 
of  blessing  took  place  with  all  solemnity  according  to  the  Roman  ritual, 
the  whole  congregation  of  neophytes  and  many  pagans  being  present,  as 
were  also  the  troops  and  the  colonists  from  the  town  of  San  Jos6  of 
Guadalupe.  On  the  next  day,  which  was  the  fifth  Sunday  after  Easter, 
the  day  of  the  Dedication  of  the  Basilica  of  Our  Holy  Father,  San 
Francisco,  the  Reverend  Father  President  sang  the  Mass  and  preached 
to  the  people  with  all  his  usual  fervor  and  eloquence.  When  the  Mass 
was  finished  he  administered  Confirmation  to  as  many  as  had  been  pre- 
pared. 

Although  I  expected  to  return  to  my  Mission,  the  Reverend  Father 
detained  me,  saying  that  he  wished  to  prepare  himself  for  death,  as  it 
might  be  we  woiild  not  see  each  other  again,  and  as  he  felt  so  seriously 
ill  that  it  could  not  now  be  very  long  before  the  end  would  come.  He 
spent  some  days  in  spiritual  exercises,  and  made  a  General  Confession, 
or  repeated  the  Confession  which  he  had  made  at  other  times,  shedding 
many  tears,  but  no  more  than  I,  as  I  feared  that  this  would  be  the  last 
time  that  I  should  see  him,  as  it  cotdd  not  be  what  both  of  us  so  much 
desired,  viz.,  that  we  should  die  together,  or,  at  least,  that  one  should  be 
able  to  accompany  the  other  in  his  last  moments,  and  as  his  Reverence 
was  looking  forward  to  going  back  to  his  Mission  and  I  to  mine,  making 
a  distance  between  us  of  forty-two  leagues,  all  inhabited  by  pagans,  it 
would  not  be  easy  for  us  to  enjoy  this  privilege.  But  it  pleased  the 
Father  of  Mercies  and  the  God  of  all  Consolation  to  grant  me  this  com- 
forting privilege  after  all,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  following  chapter. 

During  the  days  in  which  he  lingered  in  Santa  Clara  he  spent  the 
time  preparing  for  death,  but  he  was  also  occupied  in  the  holy  exercise  of 
baptizing  a  few  who  came  in  (he  was  always  greedy  to  perform  this 
sepvice  and  seemed  never  to  tire  of  it),  and  in  confirming  the  neophytes 
who  had  not  received  this  Holy  Sacrament.  As  there  were  a  few  who, 
on  account  of  sickness,  were  not  able  to  come  to  the  church,  his  Rever- 
ence went  out  to  the  village  to  confirm  them  in  their  homes,  in  order  that 
they  might  not  be  deprived  of  this  good,  and  so  he  did  not  leave  a  single 
Christian  there  who  had  not  been  confirmed.  On  the  very  day  in  which 
he  performed  the  last  of  these  Confirmations  he  started  for  his  Mission 
of  Monterey,  leaving  me  to  bear  the  burden  of  a  grief  which  was  the 
result  of  the  most  filial  affection. 

As  soon  as  he  arrived  at  his  Mission,  which  was  early  in  June,  he 


264  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

sent  back  to  Santa  Clara,  to  act  in  the  stead  of  the  late  Father  Murguia, 
the  extra  Missionary  who  had  been  stationed  in  Monterey,  Fr.  Diego 
Noboa,  and  his  Reverence  took  up  anew  his  Apostolic  labors,  giving 
himself  to  the  instruction  of  all  those  who  had  not  yet  been  confirmed, 
so  that  they  might  be  before  the  period  of  ten  years  for  which  this  Com- 
mission and  Faculty  should  expire,  which  was  on  the  i6th  of  July  of  this 
same  year,  1784.  When  that  day  arrived  he  had  performed  this  cere- 
mony upon  all  those  who  were  in  his  Mission,  so  that  there  was  not  a  sin- 
gle neophyte  who  had  not  been  confirmed.  When  his  Reverence  saw 
that  his  faculties  had  expired,  there  had  been  confirmed  by  him  five 
thousand  three  hundred  and  seven  persons.  It  seemed  that  on  that 
same  day,  the  i6th  of  July,  he  might  have  said  what  the  great  Apostle 
to  the  Gentiles  had  said,  ^^  Cur  sum  consumavi,  fidem  servavi^'  (I  have 
finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith),  for  it  seems  as  though  on 
that  same  day  the  announcement  arrived  which  prophesied  his  early 
death,  as  we  shall  see. 

Upon  this  same  i6th  day  of  July  there  anchored  in  this  port  of 
San  Francisco  one  of  the  vessels  which  came  from  San  Bias,  bringing 
provisions  and  supplies,  and  by  it  were  brought  letters  from  which  he 
learned  that  the  laborers  who  were  to  come  on  this  vessel  for  the  found- 
ing of  the  Missions  in  the  Channel  were  not  to  be  sent.  As  the  letter 
from  the  Reverend  Father  Guardian  explained,  it  was  due  to  the 
reduced  ntunber  of  Friars  who  were  at  present  at  the  College,  as  some 
had  died  and  others  had  returned  to  Spain  after  the  expiration  of  their 
terms  of  service  at  the  Missions.  The  letter  closed  by  saying  that  for 
some  years  no  news  had  been  received  from  Spain. 

This  information  was  a  hard  blow  to  the  fervent  heart  of  the  Vener- 
able Father  Junipero,  because  he  saw  his  desires  frustrated  for  those 
Missions  which  he  had  so  hoped  to  found  before  his  death.  When  he 
read  that  this  was  no  longer  possible  it  seems  as  though  he  also  read  in 
the  same  letter  the  announcement  of  his  own  death,  if  it  may  not  be  said 
that  he  had  a  more  certain  communication  on  that  point,  for  from  what 
he  did,  it  seems  that  he  expected  the  end  to  come  soon.  As  soon  as  the 
letters  had  been  received  from  the  vessel,  he  wrote,  as  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  do,  to  the  various  Missions  telling  the  Missionaries  of  the  ar- 
rival of  the  vessel  and  forwarding  them  the  letters.  To  those  who  were 
farthest  to  the  South  he  wrote,  bidding  farewell  for  eternity,  as  I  found 
out  some  two  weeks  after  his  death  from  a  letter  which  was  sent  in 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  265 

answer  to  his  and  which  had  reference  to  this  farewell  clause.  To  the 
Fathers  of  the  near-by  Missions  of  San  Antonio  (twenty-five  leagues), 
and  San  Luis  [Obispo]  (fifty  leagues) ,  he  wrote  saying  that  he  would  be  glad 
to  have  one  Father  from  each  Mission  come,  in  order  to  receive  the  sup- 
plies which  the  vessel  had  brought,  and  because  he  very  much  desired  to 
speak  with  them  and  to  bid  them  good-bye  as  it  might  be  the  last  oppor- 
tunity. To  me  he  wrote  asking  me  to  come  to  Monterey  either  by 
vessel  or  by  land  as  it  might  seem  best.  From  what  afterward  happened 
it  can  be  seen  that  he  did  this  in  order  that  we  might  be  present  at  his 
death,  and  it  would  have  come  out  so,  if  the  Fathers  from  the  Missions 
of  San  Antonio  and  San  Luis  [Obispo]  had  received  their  letters  as  soon 
as  I  did. 


266  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  LVIII 

The  Exemplary  Death  of  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero. 

UPON  receipt  of  the  letter  of  the  Reverend  Father  President,  in 
which  he  asked  me  to  go  to  Monterey,  although  he  did  not  ask  me 
to  come  quickly,  I  decided  I  had  better  go  by  land  as  the  vessel  would 
be  delayed  in  sailing.  I  arrived  at  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos  on  the 
1 8th  of  August  and  found  his  Reverence  very  weak  indeed,  although 
he  was  up  and  around,  though  with  a  heaviness  on  his  chest.  But  for 
all  that  he  did  not  refrain  from  going  to  Church  in  the  afternoon  to 
recite  the  Christian  Doctrine  and  the  prayers  with  the  neophytes,  con- 
cluding the  vespers  with  the  tender  and  devout  h3min  which  the  Vener- 
able Father  Margil  had  composed  in  honor  of  the  Assttmption  of  Our 
Lady,  in  whose  Octave  we  happened  to  be.  On  hearing  him  sing  with 
his  usual  natiural  voice,  I  said  to  a  soldier  who  was  standing  by  and 
speaking  with  me,  that  the  Father  President  did  not  seem  to  be  so  very 
sick.  To  this  the  soldier  replied  (he  had  known  him  since  the  year  1769), 
/  "Father,  we  must  not  be  too  confident;  he  is  sick,  but  this  Saintly 
Father,  when  it  comes  to  praying  and  singing,  is  always  well;  but  he  is 
almost  finished." 

The  next  day,  which  was  the  19th  of  the  month,  he  charged  me  with 
the  singing  of  the  Mass  in  honor  of  the  most  Holy  Patriarch,  Saint 
Joseph,  as  he  was  accustomed  to  do  every  month,  saying  that  he  was  not 
well  enough  to  do  it.  I  did  so,  but  his  Reverence  did  not  fail  to  take  his 
place  in  the  choir,  and  sing  with  the  neophytes,  and  repeat  the  seven 
"Our  Fathers"  and  the  usual  prayers.  In  the  afternoon  he  did  not  fail 
to  repeat  the  prayers  and  to  sing  the  verses  of  the  Virgin,  and  on  the 
next  day,  which  was  Friday,  he  took  part  in  the  usual  exercise  of  the 
Stations  of  the  Cross  in  the  church  with  all  the  people. 

We  took  up,  one  by  one,  the  points  which  he  had  called  me  to  discuss 
with  him  while  we  were  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  vessel.  But  he 
always  caused  me  to  fear  his  death  was  near  at  hand,  because,  whenever 
he  entered  into  his  little  room  or  cell,  which  was  made  of  adobe,  we  would 
find  him  very  much  absorbed  and  quiet,  although  his  companion  told 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  267 

me  that  he  had  been  that  way  ever  since  the  Faculty  to  Confirm  had 
expired,  which,  as  I  have  said,  was  on  the  same  day  in  which  the  vessel 
anchored  in  the  port  of  these  establishments.  Five  days  after  my  arri- 
val at  Monterey  the  packet-boat  came  in.  Immediately  the  royal 
surgeon  came  out  to  the  Mission  to  visit  the  Reverend  Father  President, 
and  finding  him  so  distressed  with  his  chest  trouble  he  proposed  to  apply 
some  plasters  in  order  to  draw  out  the  htmior  which  had  gathered  in  his 
breast.  He  replied  that  he  might  apply  as  many  of  these  kinds  of  medic- 
aments as  he  pleased.  He  did  so  without  any  other  effect  than  that  of 
adding  to  the  pain  of  the  afflicted  body,  but  neither  this  strong  remedy, 
nor  the  other  pains  from  which  he  suffered,  produced  from  him  the  slight- 
est indication  of  any  feeling,  and  he  went  about  as  if  he  had  none  of 
these  maladies  and  were  quite  well.  As  there  had  been  brought  out  on 
the  vessel  some  cloth  for  the  supply  of  the  Mission,  he  set  about  cutting 
it  with  his  own  hands  and  distributing  it  among  the  converts  to  cover 
their  nakedness. 

On  the  25th  of  August  he  mentioned  to  me  how  sorry  he  felt  that  the 
Fathers  had  not  come  from  the  two  Missions  of  San  Antonio  and  San 
Luis  Obispo  and  that  he  feared  that  the  letters  had  been  delayed. 
Immediately  I  sent  to  the  presidio  and  the  messenger  came  back  with 
the  letters  saying  that  they  had  forgotten  to  send  them.  As  soon  as  I 
had  informed  myself  of  their  contents  and  saw  that  it  was  to  invite  them 
to  come  to  bid  him  farewell,  I  sent  off  a  messenger  with  the  letters,  add- 
ing in  the  postscript  that  they  must  come  as  soon  as  possible,  as  I  feared 
that  it  would  not  be  long  before  our  beloved  Prelate  would  leave  us, 
judging  from  his  great  weakness.  Although  both  of  them  set  out  as 
soon  as  they  received  the  letters,  they  did  not  arrive  in  time,  as  the  one 
from  the  Mission  of  San  Antonio,  which  is  twenty-five  leagues  distant, 
arrived  after  his  death  but  in  time  for  the  funeral,  while  the  one  from 
San  Luis,  fifty  leagues  distant,  arrived  three  days  later  and  was  only  able 
to  be  present  at  the  Memorial  Service  which  was  held  on  the  7th. 

On  the  26th  he  arose  more  exhausted,  saying  that  he  had  passed  a  * 
bad  night  and  that  he  wished  to  make  disposition  of  himself  in  order  that 
God  might  dispose  of  him.  He  passed  the  whole  day  in  retirement  with- 
out admitting  of  any  distraction  whatever,  and,  at  night,  he  repeated 
with  me  his  General  Confession  in  many  tears,  but  with  complete  knowl- 
edge of  himself,  as  if  he  had  been  entirely  well.  When  this  was  finished, 
after  a  little  time  spent  in  meditation,  he  took  a  cup  of  broth  and  lay 


268  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

down,  sajdng  that  he  did  not  wish  any  one  to  remain  with  him  in  his 
room. 

At  daybreak  on  the  27th  I  went  to  see  him  and  found  him  with  his 
breviary  in  his  hands,  as  he  was  always  accustomed  to  begin  Matins 
before  daybreak,  and  when  he  was  on  the  road  he  used  to  begin  them  at 
daybreak.  In  reply  to  my  question  how  he  had  passed  the  night  he 
replied  that  he  was  all  right,  but  that  it  might  be  well  to  consecrate  a 
Host  and  to  keep  it  in  reserve  until  he  would  let  me  know.  This  I  did, 
and  when  the  Mass  was  over,  I  returned  to  advise  him  and  he  said  that 
he  was  ready  to  receive  the  Most  Divine  Viaticum  and  that  he  woiild 
go  to  the  church  to  receive  it.  I  told  him  that  this  was  not  necessary, 
that  we  could  adorn  the  cell  as  attractively  as  possible  and  that  His 
Divine  Majesty  wotild  come  to  visit  him  there.  He  replied  in  the 
negative,  saying  that  he  preferred  to  receive  it  in  the  church,  seeing  that 
as  he  could  walk,  there  was  no  reason  why  his  Lord  should  come  to  him. 
I  had  to  yield  and  to  carry  out  his  holy  wishes.  He  went  by  himself  to 
the  church  (a  distance  of  one  hundred  yards)  accompanied  by  the 
Commander  of  the  garrison,  who  had  come  to  the  ceremony,  with  some 
of  the  troops,  which  he  had  joined  with  that  of  the  Mission.  All  the 
Indians  of  the  village  or  Mission  accompanied  the  devoted  sick  Father 
to  the  church  with  extreme  tenderness  and  affection. 

On  arriving  at  the  steps  of  the  presbytery  his  Reverence  knelt  by 
the  side  of  a  little  table  which  had  been  prepared  for  this  service.  I 
came  out  of  the  vestry  robed,  and  approached  the  altar.  While  I  was 
preparing  the  incense  in  order  to  begin  the  religious  ceremony  the 
ardent  servant  of  God  intoned  the  verses  which  begin  with  the  words: 
^^Tantum  ergo  Sacramentuntj"  ^^  with  his  natural  voice  as  sonorous  as 
when  in  good  health,  though  the  tears  in  his  eyes  showed  his  emotion. 
I  administered  to  him  the  Holy  Viaticum  with  all  the  ceremonies  of  the 
ritual  and  when  this  most  devout  function  had  been  concluded,  which 
I  had  never  seen  under  such  circumstances,  his  Reverence  remained 
kneeling  in  the  same  postiu^e,  giving  thanks  to  the  Lord.  When  he  had 
finished  he  returned  to  his  little  room,  accompap'ed  by  all  the  people. 
Some  of  them  were  weeping  from  devotion  and  tenderness,  and  others 
from  grief  and  sorrow,  because  they  feared  they  were  to  be  deprived  of 
their  beloved  Father.  He  remained  alone,  and  going  to  his  cell,  seated 
himself  in  the  chair  by  the  table  and  fell  into  deep  abstraction.  When 
I  saw  him  so  withdrawn  within  himself  I  did  not  allow  any  one  to  go  in 
to  speak  to  him. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  269 

I  saw  that  the  carpenter  from  the  presidio  was  about  to  go  in,  and 
when  I  stopped  him,  he  told  me  that  the  Father  had  sent  for  him  to  have 
him  make  the  coffin  for  his  burial  and  he  wished  to  ask  him  how  he  want- 
ed it.  This  affected  me  very  much  but  I  would  not  allow  him  to  go  in 
to  speak  to  the  Father,  but  told  him  to  make  the  coffin  just  as  he  had 
made  the  one  for  Father  Crespi.  His  Reverence  passed  the  whole  day  in 
absolute  silence  and  profound  recollection,  sitting  in  his  chair  and  taking 
a  little  soup  only  once  in  all  the  day,  and  without  lying  down. 

At  night  he  felt  worse  and  asked  me  for  the  Holy  Oils.  This  Holy 
Sacrament  he  received  seated  on  a  little  stool  made  of  rushes,  and  he  re- 
peated with  us  the  Litany  of  the  Saints  with  the  Penitential  Psalms. 
He  passed  the  whole  night  without  sleeping,  the  greater  part  of  the  time 
kneeling  and  leaning  his  breast  against  the  boards  of  his  bed.  When  I 
asked  him  why  he  did  not  lie  down  for  a  little  while,  he  replied  that  he 
felt  a  little  easier  in  that  position.  At  other  times  he  was  seated  on  the 
floor,  leaning  against  the  breast  of  some  one  of  the  converts,  who  were 
all  night  long  in  the  cell,  attracted  by  the  great  love  which  they  had  for 
him  as  the  Father  who  had  begotten  them  in  the  Lord.  When  I  saw 
him  so  greatly  exhausted  and  leaning  upon  the  arms  of  the  Indians  I 
asked  the  surgeon  how  he  thought  he  was.  He  replied  (as  he  seemed  to 
be  much  aggravated)  that  it  appeared  to  him  that  the  Venerable  Father 
was  anxious  to  die  upon  the  floor. 

I  went  in  soon  after  and  asked  him  if  he  wished  Absolution  and  the 
application  of  Plenary  Indulgence.  He  replied  in  the  affirmative.  He 
prepared  himself  for  it,  and  then,  getting  on  his  knees,  he  received  Ple- 
nary Absolution  and  I  applied  to  him  the  Plenary  Indulgence  of  the  Order. 
With  this  he  was  greatly  comforted  and  spent  the  rest  of  the  night  in  the 
manner  I  have  described.  The  next  day  was  that  of  St.  Augustine,  the 
28th  of  August,  and  he  seemed  somewhat  better,  with  less  of  suffocation 
in  the  chest,  although  during  the  whole  night  he  had  not  slept,  nor  eaten  ^ 
anything.  He  spent  the  morning  seated  in  his  little  rush  chair  leaning 
against  the  bed.  This  consisted  of  a  few  hard  boards  roughly  hewn  and 
covered  with  only  a  olanket,  which  he  used  rather  to  cover  himself  with 
than  to  soften  his  couch  for  resting,  and  he  did  not  even  have  a  sheep 
skin  as  is  the  custom  in  the  College.  He  always  slept  this  way  when  on 
the  road,  stretching  out  on  the  ground  a  blanket  and  a  pillow  and  lying 
down  upon  them  to  get  the  necessary  rest,  sleeping  always  with  a  Cross 
upon  his  breast  which  he  held  in  his  arms.     It  was  about  a  foot  in  length 


270  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

and  he  had  carried  it  since  he  lived  in  the  novitiate  of  the  College  and 
had  never  left  it  behind,  but  always  took  it  with  him  on  his  journeys 
together  with  the  blanket  and  the  pillow.  In  his  Mission,  and  in  other 
places  where  he  stopped,  as  soon  as  he  arose  from  bed  he  would  put  the 
Cross  upon  the  pillow.  So  it  was  on  this  occasion,  as  he  had  not  wished 
to  lie  down  during  the  night  nor  during  the  next  morning  of  the  day  in 
which  he  was  to  yield  his  soul  to  his  Maker. 

About  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  St.  Augustine's  Day  the 
officers  from  the  frigate  came  to  see  him.  They  were  the  Captain  and 
Commander,  Don  Jos6  Canizares,  very  well  known  to  his  Reverence 
since  the  time  of  the  first  expedition  in  the  year  1769,  and  the  Royal 
Chaplaia,  Don  Christobal  Diaz,  whom  he  had  also  known  in  this  port 
in  the  year  1779.  He  received  them  with  every  mark  of  esteem,  order- 
ing that  the  bells  be  rung  in  their  honor.  He  stood  up  to  give  each  one 
a  close  embrace,  just  as  if  he  were  quite  well,  meeting  them  with  all  the 
compliments  and  ceremonies  befitting  their  rank,  and  when  they  were 
seated,  his  Reverence  occupyiag  the  little  stool,  they  told  him  of  the 
voyages  which  they  had  made  to  Peru  since  the  time  he  had  seen  them, 
in  the  year  1779. 

After  having  heard  their  story  he  said  to  them:  "Well,  Sirs,  I  am 
thankful  that  after  so  long  a  time  in  which  we  have  not  seen  one  another 
and  in  which  you  have  made  so  long  a  voyage  that  you  have  been  able 
to  come  to  this  far  distant  port  in  order  to  place  a  little  earth  upon  my 
body."  When  the  officers  and  all  the  rest  of  us  who  were  present  heard 
this  we  were  quite  surprised,  because  we  saw  him  sittiag  there  in  his 
little  chair  and  yet  we  heard  him  use  this  very  expression.  They  said 
to  him  (scarcely  concealing  the  tears  which  they  could  not  keep  back), 
"No,  Father,  we  trust  in  God  that  you  may  yet  recover  and  continue 
your  work  of  conversion."  The  Servant  of  God  replied  (who  if  he  had 
not  had  revealed  to  him  the  hour  of  his  death,  could  at  least  say  that 
it  was  very  near  at  hand) :  "Yes,  yes.  Please  do  me  this  charity  and 
work  of  mercy  of  throwing  a  little  earth  over  me  and  I  shall  be  very 
thankful  to  you. ' '  And  then  fixing  his  eyes  on  me  he  said :  "I  wish  you 
»  to  bury  me  in  the  church  next  to  Father  Fr.  Juan  Crespi,  for  the  present, 
and  when  the  stone  church  is  built,  you  may  place  me  where  you  will." 

When  my  tears  could  be  controlled  enough  to  allow  me  to  reply,  I 
said  to  him:  "Father  President,  if  it  is  God's  wish  to  take  you  to 
himself,  it  shall  be  done  as  your  Reverence  desires  and  in  that  case  I 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  271 

ask  your  Reverence  for  the  sake  of  the  great  love  and  affection  which 
you  have  always  had  for  me  that  when  you  arrive  in  the  presence  of  the 
most  Holy  Trinity,  you  will  offer  adoration  in  my  name,  and  that  you 
will  not  forget  me  nor  to  pray  for  all  those  who  dwell  in  these  establish- 
ments, and  especially  for  those  who  are  here  present."  "I  promise," 
he  said,  "that  if  the  Lord  in  His  infinite  mercy  shall  grant  me  this 
everlasting  felicity  which  I  in  no  wise  deserve  on  accotmt  of  my  faults, 
that  I  will  do  so  for  all,  and  that  He  may  grant  the  conversion  of  all 
these  pagan  people  whom  I  am  leaving  imconverted." 

Not  long  after  he  asked  me  to  sprinkle  the  room  with  holy  water. 
This  I  did,  and  when  I  had  asked  him  if  he  felt  any  pain  he  said  "No." 
But  he  asked  me  that  I  would  do  it  that  he  might  have  none.  Then 
he  remained  awhile  in  profound  silence.  Suddenly  he  spoke  to  me  as  if  • 
much  frightened  and  said:  "I  have  come  under  the  shadow  of  a  great 
fear;  I  am  very  much  afraid.  Read  to  me  the  Recommendation  for  the 
Soul  and  please  speak  loud  that  I  may  hear  it."  This  I  did,  attended 
by  all  the  officers  from  the  vessel,  as  well  as  by  his  companion,  Fr. 
Matias  Noriega,  the  surgeon,  and  many  others  from  the  vessel  and  from 
the  Mission.  I  read  the  Recommendation  for  the  Soul,  to  which  the 
dying  man  made  the  responses  as  if  he  were  well,  sitting  on  his  little  stool, 
and  moving  all  our  hearts  to  tenderness. 

As  soon  as  I  had  finished  he  burst  forth  quite  full  of  joy,  saying: 
' '  Thanks  be  to  God !  Thanks  be  to  God !  He  has  quite  taken  away  my 
fear !  Thanks  be  to  God,  there  is  no  fear  now,  and  so  let  us  go  outside." 
We  all  went  to  another  little  outside  room  with  his  Reverence  and  all 
were  astonished  and  filled  with  joy  at  seeing  this  new  spirit  in  him.  The 
Captain  of  the  vessel  then  said  to  him:  "Father  President,  you  see 
what  my  Patron  Saint,  San  Antonio,  can  do.  I  have  asked  him  to 
make  you  well  and  I  expect  that  he  will  do  it  and  that  you  will  be  making 
some  more  voyages  in  behalf  of  these  poor  Indians."  The  Venerable 
Father  did  not  reply  to  this,  but  with  a  little  smile  which  he  gave  he 
made  us  all  to  understand  that  he  did  not  expect  such  a  thing,  nor  did 
he  think  he  would  recover.  ^ 

He  sat  down  in  the  chair  by  the  table  and  taking  up  the  Divine  Office 
book  began  to  recite  the  prayers.  As  soon  as  he  had  finished  I  reminded 
him  that  it  was  after  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  asked  him  if  he 
would  like  a  cup  of  broth,  and  when  he  had  assented  he  took  it.  After 
giving  thanks,  he  said:    "Let  us  now  go  to  rest."    He  went  on  foot  to 


272  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

his  little  room,  where  he  had  his  bed  of  boards,  and  taking  off  only  his 
mantle,  he  lay  down  upon  the  blanket  which  covered  the  boards,  taking 
his  Cross  as  before  described,  in  order  to  compose  himself  for  sleep. 
We  all  thought  it  was  to  sleep,  seeing  that  in  all  the  night  he  had  not 
closed  his  eyes.  The  officers  went  out  to  dine,  but  as  I  was  somewhat 
^'  solicitous  for  him  I  rettuned  after  a  few  moments,  and  going  up  to  the 
bed  to  see  if  he  was  asleep  I  found  him  just  as  we  had  left  him  a  little 
before,  but  now  asleep  in  the  Lord,  without  having  made  any  sign  or 
movement  of  the  agonies  of  death,  his  body  showing  no  other  sign  of 
death  than  the  cessation  of  breathing.  He  seemed  to  be  asleep,  and 
we  all  devoutly  believe  that  he  slept  in  the  Lord  a  little  after  two  in  the 
afternoon  of  St.  Augustine's  Day,  in  the  year  1784,  and  that  he  has  gone 
to  receive  in  heaven  the  reward  for  his  Apostolic  labors. 

His  laborious  life  came  to  an  end  at  the  age  of  seventy  years,  nine 
months  and  four  days.  He  lived  in  the  world  sixteen  years,  nine 
months  and  twenty-one  days,  and  as  a  religious  fifty-three  years,  eleven 
months  and  thirteen  days.  Of  these  latter,  in  the  exercise  of  his 
Apostolic  ministry,  he  passed  thirty-five  years,  four  months  and  thirteen 
days,  in  which  time  he  accomplished  the  glorious  deeds  which  we  have 
seen,  in  which  his  merits  were  more  nimierous  than  his  steps,  having 
lived  in  continual  activity,  always  busy  in  virtuous  and  holy  exercises 
and  in  peculiar  achievements,  all  directed  to  the  greater  glory  of  God 
and  the  salvation  of  souls.  He  who  with  so  great  labor  worked  for  others, 
will  he  not  have  done  even  more  for  the  saving  of  his  own  soul?  I 
might  say  a  great  deal,  but  the  subject  demands  more  time  and  more 
repose.  If  God  will  permit  and  if  it  be  His  Will,  I  will  not  neglect  the 
labor  of  writing  something  concerning  his  heroic  virtues  for  the  sake  of 
edifying  and  encouraging  others. 

As  soon  as  I  had  made  sure  that  we  had  all  been  left  orphans  through 
the  departure  of  our  Venerated  Prelate,  who  had  not  fallen  asleep  but 
who  in  reality  had  died,  I  motioned  to  some  of  the  neophytes  to  make 
the  announcement  with  the  bells.  As  soon  as  the  double  tolling  spread 
abroad  the  sad  news,  the  whole  people  came  flocking  in,  lamenting  the 
death  of  their  beloved  Father  who  had  begotten  them  again  in  the 
Lord,  and  who  had  loved  them  more  than  if  he  had  been  their  natural 
father.  All  desired  to  see  him  in  order  to  relieve  themselves  of  the 
sorrow  which  oppressed  their  hearts  through  the  tears  that  flowed  from 
their  eyes.     So  great  was  the  crowd  of  people,  both  of  Indians  and  of 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  273 

soldiers  and  marines,  that  it  was  necessary  to  close  the  door  in  order  to 
put  him  into  the  coffin,  which  the  day  before  his  Reverence  had  ordered 
made.  And  in  order  to  prepare  him  for  burial  it  was  not  necessary  to 
do  anything  more  than  to  take  off  his  sandals  (which  became  the  keep- 
sakes of  the  Captain  of  the  packet-boat  and  the  Father-Chaplain  who 
had  been  present),  and  he  remained  with  the  same  shroud  as  that  in 
which  he  died,  namely,  with  his  habit,  hood  and  cord  and  without  an 
inner  tunic,  as  the  two  which  he  had  for  his  journeys  he  had  sent  to  be 
washed  six  days  before  he  died,  together  with  a  change  of  under-clothing 
which  he  did  not  care  to  put  on  again,  as  he  wished  to  die  with  only  his 
habit  and  hood,  with  the  cord. 

As  soon  as  the  body  had  been  placed  in  the  coffin,  with  six  candles 
lighted,  the  door  of  the  cell  was  opened.  The  sorrowful  neophyte  In- 
dians were  already  there  with  their  bouquets  of  flowers  of  every  color 
which  they  had  gathered  from  the  fields  to  adorn  the  body  of  their 
lamented  Father.  The  body  was  left  in  the  room  until  evening  and 
there  was  a  continual  flow  of  people  who  came  and  went,  some  of  them 
repeating  prayers,  others  touching  his  Venerable  hands  and  face  with 
rosaries  and  medats,  crying  out  in  great  lamentation:  "Holy  Father!" 
** Blessed  Father!"  and  using  other  epithets  which  were  bom  of  their 
great  love  for  him,  and  in  manifestation  of  the  heroic  virtues  which  they 
had  seen  him  exercise,  when  alive,  in  their  behalf. 

As  night  came  on  we  took  him  to  the  church,  in  procession  which 
was  formed  of  all  the  neophytes,  soldiers,  and  the  sailors  who  had  re- 
mained. After  placing  the  body  upon  a  table,  surrounded  by  six  lighted 
candles,  the  service  was  concluded  with  a  Responsorio.  Those  present 
begged  me  to  leave  the  church  open  that  they  might  watch  over  him 
and  sing  the  Rosary  for  the  Soul  of  the  Deceased,  renewing  the  watch 
at  set  intervals  and  so  spending  the  whole  night  in  continual  prayer.  I 
yielded  to  them  in  this,  but  placing  two  soldiers  to  act  as  sentinels,  in 
order  to  prevent  any  indiscreet  act  of  piety,  or  pious  theft,  as  all  were 
very  anxious  to  secure  some  little  thing  which  the  deceased  had  used, 
especially  the  sailors  and  the  soldiers  who,  on  account  of  their  larger 
knowledge  of  things,  and  because  they  held  the  late  Venerable  Father 
in  very  high  esteem  on  account  of  his  virtue  and  sanctity,  as  they  had 
had  dealings  with  him  both  on  land  and  at  sea,  kept  asking  me  for  little 
things  which  he  had  used.  Although  I  promised  them  that  I  would 
grant  them  their  wish  after  the  burial,  this  was  not  sufficient  to  prevent 


274  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

them  from  cutting  off  little  pieces  from  his  habit,  taking  them  from  the 
imder  side  that  it  might  not  be  noticed,  and  also  a  part  of  the  hair  of 
the  crown,  when  they  could  do  so  without  being  seen  by  the  sentinel, 
if,  indeed,  he  did  not  become  an  accomplice  with  them  and  a  partici- 
pant in  this  pious  robbery,  for  all  were  very  anxious  to  secure  some 
keepsake  from  the  deceased,  although  such  was  their  great  esteem  for 
him  that  they  called  them  relics,  in  spite  of  my  efforts  to  correct  them 
and  explain,  etc. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  275 


CHAPTER  LIX 

Solemn  Burial  of  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero. 

THE  poverty  of  the  land  and  of  the  people  who  inhabit  it  made  it 
impossible  to  give  the  blessed  remains  of  the  Venerable  Father 
Junipero  the  burial  and  the  funeral  honors  with  the  pomp  which  his 
heroic  virtues  deserved,  as  we  were  reduced  to  simply  a  little  detach- 
ment of  troops  from  the  presidio  which  was  a  league  distant  from  the 
Mission,  to  the  small  guard  located  at  the  Mission,  and  the  Mission 
converts  who  composed  the  congregation,  the  whole  number  not  exceed- 
ing 600  persons  of  all  ages.  It  was  also  impossible  to  have  present  many 
priests  as  there  were  no  chaplains  at  the  presidios  and  in  each  Mission 
there  were  stationed  only  two  Missionaries  and  these  far  apart,  so  that 
it  would  be  natural  to  expect  that  in  the  burial  of  any  of  the  Missionaries, 
his  companion  who  would  be  left  alive  would  be  the  only  one  to  take  part 
in  the  ceremony  and  there  would  naturally  be  no  larger  concourse  of 
people  than  the  converted  Indians  and  the  little  squad  of  five  soldiers 
with  their  corporal. 

But  God  saw  fit  to  honor  his  Faithful  Servant  (who  had  so  con- 
stantly labored  in  order  to  create  these  establishments  in  which  the 
Lord  is  praised  and  who  had  been  equally  anxious  to  separate  himself 
from  every  earthly  honor)  by  permitting  that  his  death  should  occur  at 
the  time  when  the  vessel  was  anchored  in  the  port  of  Monterey,  which  is  | 
only  during  the  short  time  each  year  when  it  stops  to  leave  the  cargo, 
so  that  we  had  the  privilege  of  having  with  us  at  that  time  some  Spanish 
people.  So  that  the  funeral  took  place  in  the  presence  of  the  sailors  and  \ 
the  soldiers  from  the  royal  garrison  and  was  conducted  by  four  priests, 
and  later  in  the  memorial  service,  five  were  present,  of  which  I  shall 
speak  later. 

The  burial  took  place  the  day  following  his  death;  that  is,  on  the 
29th  of  August,  which  was  Sunday.  In  the  morning  the  Reverend  Fr. 
Buenaventura  Sitjar  arrived  at  the  presidio,  coming  from  the  Mission  of 
San  Antonio,  twenty-five  leagues  distant.  As  soon  as  he  had  received 
my  letter,  of  which  I  have  already  spoken,  he  sent  it  on  to  San  Luis, 


276  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

twenty-five  leagues  farther,  and  then  started  out  without  loss  of  time, 
but  had  not  been  able  to  arrive  before  the  death  of  the  Fr.  President. 
On  arriving  at  the  presidio  and  learning  that  he  had  died  the  previous 
afternoon,  he  remained  there  long  enough  to  say  Mass  and  then  came  on 
to  the  Mission,  accompanied  by  the  Lieutenant-Inspector  of  both  Cali- 
fomias  (in  the  absence  of  the  Governor)  and  by  the  Commander  of  the 
presidio  with  almost  all  the  troops,  leaving  behind  only  a  small  nimiber, 
necessary  to  act  as  guard.  A  little  later  the  Captain  and  Commander  of 
the  packet-boat  arrived,  accompanied  by  the  Chaplain  and  other  Naval 
Officers,  together  with  all  the  crew,  except  a  few  left  to  keep  watch  on 
board,  and  also  to  take  charge  of  the  firing  of  a  cannon  every  half -hour, 
to  which  another  cannon  at  the  presidio  responded  (and  in  which 
exercise  they  were  engaged  all  day  long) .  These  shots,  being  heard  at  the 
Mission  and  being  accompanied  by  the  double  tolling  of  the  bells,  melted 
the  hearts  of  all. 

When  all  the  people  had  gathered  in  the  church,  crowding  it  full  in 
spite  of  its  ample  size,  a  Vigil  was  sung  with  the  greatest  solemnity,  and 
then  I  immediately  celebrated  High  Mass,  attended  by  the  officers  who 
carried  lighted  candles.  When  this  was  concluded  Libera  was  sung, 
then  the  act  of  burial  was  left  until  the  afternoon,  all  the  people  remain- 
ing in  the  Mission,  employing  the  time  in  viewing  the  remains,  saying 
prayers  and  touching  the  holy  body  with  rosaries  and  medals.  Bells 
continued  to  toll,  accompanied  by  the  artillery  of  sea  and  land,  as  if  it 
were  the  death  of  some  General. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  bells  called  the  people  together 
again  and  they  gathered  in  the  church,  where  a  procession  was  formed, 
preceded  by  the  cross  and  candle  bearers  and  composed  of  all  the  people, 
converted  Indians,  sailors,  soldiers,  and  officers  (these  latter  with  can- 
dles), in  double  file,  and  at  the  head  the  Missionaries,  the  same  who  were 
present  in  the  morning.  After  the  singing  of  the  Responsorio  they  took 
up  the  body  and  carried  it  out,  the  pall-bearers  changing  at  intervals,  as 
all  the  officers,  both  from  the  army  and  navy,  wished  to  have  the  honor 
of  having  borne  him  upon  their  shoulders.  The  procession  made  a 
circle  around  the  plaza  which  is  quite  large.  Four  stations,  or  stops, 
were  made  and  at  each  one  the  Responsorio  was  sung. 

On  returning  again  to  the  chturch  the  body  was  again  placed  upon 
the  same  table  at  the  foot  of  the  step  of  the  presbytery.  The  burial 
then  took  place.  Lauds  being  sung  with  all  solemnity  in  accordance  with 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  277 

the  Manual  of  the  Order.  He  was  buried  within  the  railing  of  the 
presbytery  on  the  Gospel  side,  and  the  service  was  then  finished  with 
the  singing  of  the  Responsorio,  although  the  tears  and  sobs  and  wailing 
of  those  present  almost  drowned  the  voices  of  the  singers.  His  children 
were  mourning  the  death  of  their  Father,  who  had  left  his  own  old 
father  and  mother  in  his  native  land  and  had  come  this  long  distance 
for  no  other  purpose  than  to  make  these  his  children  and  the  children 
of  God  through  Holy  Baptism.  The  flock  was  lamenting  the  death  of 
its  Shepherd  who  had  labored  so  assiduously  to  provide  them  with 
spiritual  food  and  who  had  delivered  them  from  the  claws  of  the  infernal 
wolf.  His  faithful  subjects  were  mourning  the  loss  of  their  Prelate,  the 
wise,  the  prudent,  the  courteous,  the  diligent,  and  the  model  leader, 
as  they  all  recognized  how  greatly  he  would  be  missed  in  the  develop- 
ment of  these  Spiritual  Conquests. 

As  soon  as  the  ceremony  was  over  the  people  crowded  around  me, 
asking  for  some  little  thing  which  the  Father  had  aforetime  used;  but 
as  the  things  which  the  Father  had  had  for  his  own  use  were  so  very  few, 
it  was  not  at  all  easy  to  satisfy  them.  In  order  to  avoid  the  clamor  of  the 
crowd  in  their  demands,  I  brought  out  the  under  tunic  which  the  Father 
had  used  (although  he  had  not  worn  it  at  the  last,  for  as  I  have  said  he 
died  wearing  only  his  habit),  and  I  delivered  it  to  the  Commander  of  the 
packet-boat,  telling  him  to  divide  it  up  among  the  members  of  his  crew 
in  order  that  they  might  make  from  it  scapulars,  and  to  bring  them 
that  I  might  bless  them  on  the  4th  of  September,  as,  upon  that  day, 
which  was  the  seventh  day  after  his  death,  the  Memorial  Service  was  to 
be  celebrated  in  honor  of  the  late  Father.  With  this  they  all  went  away 
satisfied.  To  the  soldiers  of  the  troop  and  other  particular  friends  I  gave  > 
pieces  of  the  under-clothes,  cutting  them  up  for  this  purpose,  and  I  also 
gave  away  two  handkerchiefs. 

One  of  these  was  given  as  a  legacy  to  the  Royal  Surgeon,  Don  Juan 
Garcia,  not  only  as  a  return  for  his  services,  but  because  of  the  long 
acquaintanceship  and  the  peculiar  affection  he  had  for  the  deceased. 
A  few  days  later,  when  he  returned  to  the  Mission,  he  thanked  me  for  the  ^ 
little  piece  of  cloth  and  said:  "With  this  little  piece  of  cloth  I  expect 
to  cvue  more  people  than  with  all  my  books  and  bottles.  I  had  in  my 
hospital  a  sailor  who  was  suffering  from  very  severe  pains  in  the  head, 
which  allowed  him  no  rest  at  all.  I  left  off  administering  medicine  and 
tied  up  his  head  with  the  handkerchief.     He  fell  asleep  and  the  next 


278  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

morning  awoke  sound  and  well.  I  hope,"  he  said,  "that  this  little  cloth 
will  accomplish  more  than  a  whole  drug-store."  Such  was  the  esteem 
in  which  he  held  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero. 

No  less  highly  were  his  virtues  esteemed  by  Fr.  Antonio  Patema, 
who  had  known  him  since  the  year  1750,  when  he  came  out  from  Spain 
to  the  same  Mission,  although  coming  in  the  second  section.  He  was 
for  many  years  in  the  Missions  of  the  Sierra  Gorda  at  the  same  time  that 
the  Venerable  Father  President  was  there,  and  since  the  year  1771  in 
these  Missions,  being  located  at  present  at  the  Mission  of  San  Luis 
Obispo.  I  sent  to  advise  him,  as  I  have  already  said,  that  the  Reverend 
Father  President  was  very  sick  and  that  he  desired  to  see  him  before  he 
died.  On  receipt  of  my  letter  he  set  out  in  great  haste,  spurred  by  his 
desire  to  reach  him  before  he  died.  But  in  spite  of  the  great  haste 
which  he  made  in  traveling  all  day  and  part  of  the  night,  he  was  not 
able  to  arrive  in  time  even  for  the  burial,  arriving  three  days  after  his 
death  and  able  only  to  take  part  in  the  Memorial  Services,  as  I  shall 
relate  in  the  following  chapter. 

On  account  of  the  fatigue  of  the  journey  for  this  brother  of  sixty 
years  of  age,  who  had  been  sick  nearly  all  the  way,  and  was  much  affected 
by  the  heat,  which  is  excessive  in  the  mountains  of  Santa  Lucia  in  the 
month  of  August,  he  was  taken  seriously  ill  a  few  days  after  his  arrival. 
This  illness  was  so  severe  that  we  were  all  much  alarmed,  as  was  also  the 
Royal  Surgeon  who  said  that  it  was  some  kind  of  colic.  The  doctor  did 
all  his  profession  could  suggest  and  then  told  us  that  as  it  was  serious 
the  Father  had  better  prepare  himself  for  death,  as  indeed  he  fully  ex- 
pected to  follow  our  Venerable  President  Fr.  Junipero.  Upon  seeing 
how  exhausted  he  was  from  the  pains,  I  said  to  him,  "Father,  do  you 
not  wish  to  gird  yourself  with  the  hair-cloth  of  our  Venerable  Father 
President?  Perhaps  God  may  be  pleased  to  grant  you  relief."  "Yes, 
Father,"  he  replied,  "bring  it  to  me."  He  girded  himself  with  it,  and 
very  shortly  felt  great  relief,  so  much  so  that  I  refrained  from  administer- 
ing to  him  the  Viatictim.  He  went  on  improving  and  was  shortly  quite 
well,  so  that  when  I  left  that  Mission  to  come  back  to  this  one,  he  was 
able  to  say  Mass. 

The  object  in  relating  these  incidents  is  not  that  I  purpose  publish- 
ing them  as  miracles,  nor  in  my  judgment  did  these  keepsakes  have  any 
such  miraculous  virtue,  as  it  may  have  been  in  each  case  the  result  of 
natural  causes  or  simple  coincidence.     It  is  not  my  duty  to  investigate 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  279 

or  make  any  scrutiny  of  them,  but  simply  to  repeat  the  protest  which  I 
made  at  the  beginning  of  this  book;  so  that  in  this  particular,  as  in 
everi^thing  I  have  written  in  this  Historic  Account,  and  in  what  I  may 
say  hereafter,  I  keep  within  the  limits  of  the  Brief  of  His  Holiness,  Pope 
Urban  VIII,  published  on  the  5th  of  June,  1631,  and  of  the  other  Pon- 
tifical decrees.  I  have  related  these  cases  simply  for  the  sake  of  showing 
what  was  the  general  opinion  as  to  the  virtues  of  the  Reverend  Father 
Jimipero  and  the  esteem  in  which  his  exemplary  life  was  held  by  all 
kinds  of  people,  and  especially  by  those  who  had  known  and  dealt  with 
him  for  many  years,  so  that  his  fame  and  the  public  report  of  his  virtue 
made  them  greatly  covet  some  little  thing  which  the  Father  might  have 
used,  as  well  as  led  them  to  be  present  and  to  honor  his  memory  after 
his  death,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  following  chapter. 


28o  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


CHAPTER  LX 

Devout  Memorial  Services  Which^  on  the  Seventh  Day,  Were  Held  in 
Honor  of  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero, 

BEING  desirous  of  showing  that  I  was  a  grateftd  disciple  of  my 
dearly  beloved  and  revered  Master,  I  was  not  satisfied  with  the 
honors  which  we  had  accorded  him  at  his  burial,  but  planned  to  repeat 
the  same  on  the  seventh  day,  wishing  to  acquire  still  greater  assistance 
for  his  sold  if,  by  chance,  he  should  need  it,  in  order  to  receive  in  heaven 
the  reward  of  his  Apostolic  labors.  As  soon  as  I  suggested  such  a  thing, 
the  officers  of  the  presidio  and  the  vessel  considered  themselves  as  in- 
vited to  take  part  in  the  same,  and  so  on  the  4th  of  September  there  was 
an  equally  large  (if  not  larger)  concourse  of  people  at  the  Mission,  of 
Commanders,  Officers,  soldiers,  sailors  and  Indians  as  upon  the  day  of 
the  burial,  and  the  same  honors  were  given  with  the  artillery  as  those  I 
have  mentioned  in  relation  with  the  first  service  and  which  accompanied 
the  double  tolling  of  the  bells  during  all  the  time  the  service  took  place, 
which  consisted  of  the  following: 

A  Vigil  was  sung  with  all  possible  solemnity;  at  its  conclusion  I  sang 
the  High  Mass  assisted  by  the  same  Ministers  who  had  taken  part  on  the 
day  of  the  burial.  In  the  choir  Fathers  Antonio  Paterna  and  Buenaven- 
tura Sitjar  conducted  the  singing,  with  the  help  of  the  Indians  whom  the 
deceased  Father  had  instructed  in  singing.  The  service  was  closed  with 
a  solemn  Response.  There  were  not  lacking  in  this  service  crying  and 
sobbing,  both  on  the  part  of  the  converted  Indians  as  well  as  of  the  rest 
who  were  present,  expressing  in  this  way  by  their  tears  how  very  dear 
to  them  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  had  been,  and  also  expressing  the 
belief  which  we  all  hold  that,  on  account  of  his  heroic  virtues  which  we 
had  all  seen  in  his  laborious  and  exemplary  life,  he  was  equally  beloved 
of  God,  and  that  from  Him  he  will  have  received  the  reward  of  his 
Apostolic  labors. 

When  the  service  was  over  a  great  number  of  scapulars  were 
presented  to  me  which  had  been  made  from  the  tunic  of  the  Venerable 
Father  and  which,  as  I  have  said,  I  gave  to  the  Naval  Officer  to  be  dis- 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  281 

tributed.  These  I  blessed,  taking  care  to  state  that  the  veneration  in 
which  they  were  to  be  held  was  due  to  the  fact  that  they  were  from  the 
sack-cloth  (sayal)  of  our  Holy  Father,  San  Francisco,  on  which  the 
blessing  of  the  Church  had  already  been  placed;  and  that  the  fact  that 
these  scapulars  had  been  made  from  the  tunic  of  Father  Junipero  was 
only  to  serve  as  a  keepsake  of  his  Reverence,  in  order  that  they  might 
commend  him  to  God  that  he  be  allowed  to  enter  into  eternal  rest. 
They  all  said  that  so  they  understood  it.  But  not  all  had  yet  been  sat- 
isfied, because  not  all  had  received  a  part  of  the  tunic.  Those  who  had 
been  overlooked  were  the  soldiers,  and  they  asked  me  for  some  little 
trinket  to  keep  in  memory  of  the  Father.  As  there  was  nothing  that  I 
could  give  them  but  books,  there  was  no  way  of  satisf5dng  them  until  I 
remembered  that  the  Venerable  Father  had  a  supply  of  medals  which  he 
was  accustomed  to  give  away  to  his  devout  people.  These  I  brought 
out  and  distributed,  so  that  all  went  away  content  and  comforted,  and 
with  some  keepsake  to  remind  them  of  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero, 
that  they  might  commend  him  to  God. 

But  we  who  had  been  his  subordinates  were  left  with  the  sad  grief 
and  pain  of  finding  ourselves  deprived  of  our  beloved  Father,  prudent 
Superior,  wise  and  model  Teacher;  who  as  a  loving  Father  was  loved 
by  all  his  children,  who  had  kept  all  of  us  who  were  his  inferiors  comforted 
by  his  direction,  as  a  wise  Teacher  we  had  rested  under  his  noble  de- 
crees and  prudent  suggestions;  and,  finally,  as  a  model  Teacher  he  had 
animated  us  all  with  the  example  of  his  Apostolic  labors  to  work  with 
pleasure  and  happiness  in  this  Vineyard  of  the  Lord,  which  his  Apostolic 
zeal  had  planted  in  this  remote  and  uncivilized  land,  so  far  away  from 
Christendom  that  it  could  be  reckoned  as  indeed  the  farthest  removed 
from  the  center  of  the  Church.  These  and  other  actions  which  have 
been  recorded  in  this  Historic  Account,  all  of  themselves  so  glorious, 
will  not  permit  us  ever  to  forget  Father  Junipero,  and  his  memory  is 
not  only  perpetuated  in  us  his  subordinates,  but  also  in  all  the  dwellers 
of  this  Northern  California.  So  that  if  I  did  not  fear  my  words  might 
be  interpreted  as  the  note  of  an  impassioned  disciple,  when  led  to  con- 
template my  revered  Master  who  left  behind  in  the  Old  World  all  world- 
ly honors  when  he  laid  aside  his  doctor's  cap  and  moved  to  the  New 
World  of  America,  and  even  here  had  no  rest  until  he  had  penetrated 
into  the  extreme  North,  there  to  live  and  to  die,  in  terram  alienarum 
Gentium,  forgetting  the  world  in  order  that  he  might  give  play  to  his 


282  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Apostolic  zeal  in  the  conversion  of  the  wretched  pagans,  I  wotild  make 
bold  to  say  of  him  what  Solomon  said  of  that  other  wise  man  (Chap.  39) : 
Non  recedet  memoria  ejus,  et  nomen  ejus  requiretur  a  generatione  in  gen- 
erationem}^  His  memory  will  not  be  blotted  out  because  the  works  which 
he  did  while  alive  have  been  stamped  upon  the  inhabitants  of  this  New 
California  who,  in  spite  of  the  devouring  element  of  time,  will  perpetuate 
it  to  all  generations. 

For  he  who  accomplishes  glorious  deeds,  although  himself  as  a 
mortal  may  be  subject  to  Time  and  consumed  by  it,  is  not  so  subjected 
with  respect  to  his  glorious  deeds;  for  these,  endowed  as  it  were  by  an 
Immortal  Immtmity,  are  exempt  from  Time's  jurisdiction.  The  life  of 
Father  Junipero,  as  a  subject  of  Time,  came  to  an  end  after  having  ex- 
tended seventy  years,  nine  months  and  four  days.  He  worked  in  the 
Apostolic  ministry  one  half  of  his  life,  and  in  these  Califomias  sixteen 
years,  after  having  established  a  Mission  in  Old  California  in  which  he 
lived  one  year;  and  in  this  Northern  and  New  California,  formerly  pop- 
ulated only  by  pagans,  he  left  fifteen  colonies,  six  of  them  of  Spaniards  or 
gente  de  razon^^  and  nine  of  native  Christian  converts,  baptized  either  by 
his  Reverence  or  by  his  companions. 

i  At  the  time  of  his  death,  those  who  had  been  baptized  here  reached 
the  number  of  5800,  and  with  those  who  had  been  baptized  in  Old 
California  the  number  is  more  than  7000.  He  confirmed  in  this  Cal- 
ifornia 5307,  and  in  order  to  reap  this  Spiritual  Harvest  he  labored  un- 
ceasingly, as  we  have  related.  These  actions,  so  glorious  in  themselves, 
will  never  be  consiimed  by  Time,  but  rather  they  will  hold  up  their  author 
in  perpetual  remembrance  of  all.  Non  recedet  memoria  ejus}^  Nor  are 
we  to  think  that  the  deceased  Father  has  himself  forgotten  this  Spiritual 
Conquest,  for  we  see  how  the  promise  which  he  made  us  a  little  before 
his  death  is  being  fulfilled.  For  he  said  he  would  ask  God  in  its  behalf 
and  that  he  would  intercede  for  all  these  pagan  people  that  they  might 
be  converted  to  the  Holy  Catholic  Faith.  This  promise  we  now  see 
being  fulfilled,  as  the  number  of  Christians  in  all  the  Missions  is  rapidly 
increasing  since  the  death  of  their  zealous  Founder. 

In  a  letter  which  I  wrote  to  all  the  Missionaries  telling  them  of  the 
death  of  our  beloved  Prelate,  I  related  for  their  comfort  how  a  little 
before  he  had  died  he  had  promised  me  that  he  would  not  forget  us,  nor 
to  ask  God  for  the  Conversion  of  this  immense  pagandom  which  had 
been  left  without  baptism,  in  order  that  they  might  receive  this  Holy 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIpERO  SERRA  283 

Sacrament.  In  reply  to  this  letter  Reverend  Father  Lector  Pablo 
Mugartegui,  Minister  of  the  Mission  of  San  Juan  Capistrano,  one  of  the 
last  to  be  founded  in  the  South  (this  Father  had  been  his  companion  in 
the  year  1773  and  1774  in  the  sea  voyage  and  on  the  land  journey  from 
Mexico  City  to  the  port  of  San  Diego,  in  which  time  he  had  learned  to 
appreciate  the  virtues  of  our  Venerable  Prelate  and  beloved  President), 
wrote: 

I  note  what  you  say  of  the  promise  which  our  Venerable  Prelate,  Father  Junipero, 
Dilectus  Deo  et  hominibus,^^  left  us,  and  I  may  say  in  reply  to  your  Reverence  that 
we  may  thank  God,  for  we  already  see  in  this  Mission  how  the  promise  of  our  Vener- 
able Father  President,  Fr.  Junipero,  is  being  fulfilled.  In  these  four  last  months  we 
have  baptized  more  gentiles  than  in  the  last  three  preceding  years  and  we  attribute 
these  conversions  to  the  intercession  of  our  Venerable  Father  Junipero  who  will 
be  asking  it  of  God  as  he  was  ever  asking  it  in  life,  and  we  piously  believe  that  he 
is  enjoying  the  presence  of  God  and  that  with  even  greater  fervor  he  will  continue 
to  ask  of  God  from  whom,  doubtless,  he  has  obtained  the  Conversion  of  these  many 
souls  which  we  have  baptized  in  the  four  months  since  his  death.  These  are  Indians 
who  have  come  from  afar  and  use  a  different  dialect  from  thos^  who  are  natives  of 
this  Mission,  so  it  has  been  necessary  to  secure  the  services  of  an  interpreter  from 
San  Gabriel.  Seeing  that  these  have  come  in  by  themselves  from  so  far  to  ask  for 
baptism  we  piously  believe  that  they  have  been  moved  by  an  interior  impulse 
through  which  our  Venerable  Father  has  been  able  to  reach  them  through  the 
mercies  of  our  Go^  and  Father,  the  God  of  all  comfort,  who  in  the  midst  of  the  sor- 
row which  th,e  news  of  his  death  has  caused  us,  comforts  us  with  this  increased  num- 
ber of  his  children,  which  have  been  brought  in  to  swell  the  numbers  of  the  spiritual 
flock. 

In  the  same  tenor  as  that  in  which  Father  Lector  Mugartegui  writes 
me  concerning  his  Mission  of  San  Juan  Capistrano,  I  believe  all  the  other 
Missionaries  could  have  written;  for  when  we  note  that  the  number  of 
baptized  which  there  were  in  the  Missions  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  the 
Venerable  Founder  was  5800,  on  the  last  day  of  the  same  year,  1784, 
as  is  shown  by  the  Annual  Reports  which  the  Missionary  Fathers  sent 
me,  the  number  was  6736;  from  which  I  learn  that  in  the  four  months 
after  the  death  of  the  Venerable  Founder,  936  were  baptized,  which  is 
greater  than  the  number  reached  in  any  entire  year  since  the  beginning 
of  the  Conquest.  The  Missionaries  wrote  me  to  say  that  the  Conquest 
continued  with  great  increase,  a  restdt  which  they  attribute  to  the  inter- 
cession and  prayers  of  the  Venerable  Father  Founder,  who  in  heaven  is 
asking  God  for  the  conversion  of  all  this  immense  pagandom;  and  in 
proportion  as  the  Conversions  increase  so  will  the  memory  of  its  principal 


284  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

conqueror  go  on  extending  itself,  concerning  whom,  if  we  add  to  his 
glorious  achievements  the  heroism  of  his  virtues  (of  which  I  shall  speak 
in  the  following  chapter),  we  may  sing  in  his  honor  that  verse  of  David 
(Psalm  III,  verse  7)^^  In  memoria  aeterna  erit  Justus.  For,  as  a  diligent 
laborer  in  the  Vineyard  of  the  Lord,  and  as  a  man  exemplary  in  all  his 
activities,  his  memory  shall  be  an  everlasting  remembrance  before  God. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  285 


THE  LAST  CHAPTER 

In  Which  a  Recapitulation  is  Made  of  the  Virtues  Which  Shone  Forth  in 
a  Peculiar  Way  from  This  Servant  of  God,  Fr.  Junipero. 

IF  the  preceding  history  of  the  Life  and  Apostolic  Labors  of  the  Ven- 
erable Father  Fr.  Junipero  has  been  read  with  any  degree  of  reflec- 
tion, the  reader  will  have  discovered  that  his  laborious  and  exemplary 
life  was  like  a  beautiful  and  charming  field,  carpeted  with  every  variety 
of  flowers,  which  are  his  excellent  virtues.  In  order  to  bring  this  history 
to  a  close,  I  purpose  in  this  chapter  (which  I  shall  divide  into  sections) 
to  simi  up  the  more  notable  of  the  virtues  which  have  been  observed  in 
him,  and  which  his  himiility  was  not  able  to  hide,  and  which,  in  order  to 
fulfill  the  teachings  of  the  Divine  Master,  ought  indeed  to  be  made 
public  so  that  the  younger  Christians  whom  he  converted  and  added  to 
the  fold  of  Holy  Church,  on  observing  them,  may  be  led  to  practice  them 
and  to  praise  God  for  them.  But  those  other  virtues  which  did  not  con- 
duce to  this  end  he  always  assiduously  tried  to  hide  even  from  his  most 
intimate  companions  and  from  those  who  were  nearest  to  him  and  most 
enjoyed  his  confidence,  observing  to  the  very  letter  that  precept  which 
our  Lord  suggests  in  St.  Matthew's  Gospel  (VI,  3) :  Nesciat  sinistra  tua, 
quid  faciat  dextera  tua}^  For  this  reason  I  will  not  take  up  a  study  of 
these  inner  virtues.  For  although  the  intimacy  and  the  love  which  I 
had  for  him  dates  from  the  year  1739,  and  although  beginning  with  the 
year  1749  I  was  his  confessor  as  long  as  he  lived  (and  if  there  were  times 
when  under  obedience  to  orders  we  were  separated  in  the  fulfillment  of 
Apostolic  ministry,  he  always  tried,  when  we  found  ourselves  together 
again,  to  make  General  Confession  concerning  that  period,  renewing 
those  which  he  might  have  made  in  the  interval),  although  I  say  this 
holy  exercise  lasted  for  thirty-four  years,  I  am  still  unable  to  say  any- 
thing concerning  his  inner  life,  but  I  shall  be  able  to  speak  only  of  his 
outward  life,  simply  because  his  profound  humility  could  not  cover  it 
up,  and  because  he  fully  carried  out  the  injunction  which  Jesus  Christ 
has  given  us:  Luceat  lux  vestra,  etc.,^*  which  according  to  Saint  Gregory 
is  the  same  as  holding  lighted  lamps  in  one's  hand  in  order  that  those 


286  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

who  may  see  these  outward  acts  of  virtue  may  be  moved  to  praise  God  as 
the  author  of  them:  "Lucernas  quippe  ar denies  in  manibus  tenemus,  cum 
per  bona  opera  proximis  nostris  lucis  exempla  monstramus."^^ 

But  even  in  this  matter  there  will  not  be  room  to  tell  all,  and  I  must 
content  myself  with  relating  just  a  few  acts  of  the  Virtues  which  have 
a  certain  heroic  lustre;  and  to  this  end  I  note,  in  accord  with  the  Audi- 
tors of  the  Holy  Rota  in  the  case  of  St.  Peter  Regalado,  that  in  two  ways 
may  one  possess  Virtues  in  a  heroic  degree.  The  one  in  that  a  man  strives 
after  them  in  a  manner  which  would  demand  special  Divine  aid,  and 
these  may  be  called  Purifying  Virtues;  the  other  in  that  a  man  has  already 
obtained  the  end  of  these  desires  in  as  far  as  that  is  possible  in  this  mortal 
life,  and  these  may  be  called  the  Virtues  of  the  Purified  Mind,  such  as 
were  those  of  the  Virgin,  Our  Lady,  and  of  a  few  notable  saints. 

I  shall  not  speak  of  these  latter,  for  as  these  same  Auditors  tell  us, 
they  are  found  in  very  few  saints;  I  shall  speak  only  of  the  former,  con- 
cerning which  Cardinal  Aguirre  (Tract,  de  Virtutibus  et  vitiis  dist.  12, 
q.  3,  sec.  5,  num.  49),  after  having  said  that  they  cannot  be  known  by 
themselves  but  only  by  the  effects,  the  deeds  or  external  actions,  and 
words,  even  as  Christ  indicates  when  he  says  Ex  fructibus  eorum,  etc.,^^ 
goes  on  to  say:  "Quisquis  non  praecepta  solum ,  sed  concilia  Evangelica 
semper^  et  toto  animi  conatu  deprehenditur  observasse  usque  ad  ultimum 
vitae  momentum  neque  unquam  declinasse  ab  ea  difficili  et  angusta  via, 
verbo,  facto,  aut  omissione,  idque  judicio  communi  hominum  tantam  vitae 
perfectionem  admirantium  in  mortali  homine,  his  sane  probabiliter  creditur 
fuisse  praeditus  virtutibus  per  se  inditis  in  gradu  heroico;  immo  etiam 
virentibus  acquisitis  in  eodem  gradu.' ^  ("Whosever  is  found  always  and 
with  all  the  energy  of  his  mind  to  have  observed  not  only  the  Com- 
mandments, but  also  the  Evangelical  Counsels,  to  the  last  moment  of 
his  life,  and  never  to  have  swerved  from  that  difficult  and  narrow  path 
by  word,  deed,  or  omission,  and  that,  too,  according  to  the  general  opin- 
ion of  men  who  admire  such  perfection  of  life  in  mortal  man,  he  indeed 
with  probability  is  believed  to  have  been  endowed  with  the  infused 
virtues  in  an  heroic  degree,  and  also  with  the  acquired  virtues  in  the  same 
degree."") 

The  effects  of  these  virtues  Pope  Benedict  XIV  sets  forth  in  the  fol- 
lowing words  (De  Serv.  Dei  Beatif.,  cap.  22  of  Book  3) :  "  Ut  sit  heroica 
efficere  debet,  ut  earn  habens  operetur  expedite,  prompte,  et  delectabiliter  supra 
communem  modum  ex  fine  supernaturali,  cum  abnegatione  operantis,  et 
afectuum  subjectione.^'^^ 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  287 

That  is  to  say,  in  order  that  a  Virtue  be  heroic  it  is  necessary  that  it 
move  the  one  who  has  it  to  act  with  promptness  and  expedition  over  and 
above  the  common  ways  of  men  and  for  a  supernatural  purpose,  with 
great  self-denial  and  proper  subjection  of  all  one's  own  affections  and 
desires.  Examples  of  men  of  this  sort,  such  as  are  given  by  the  above 
mentioned  Cardinal  Aguirre,  and  by  the  Most  Holy  Father,  Benedict 
XIV,  will  serve  me  as  illustration  in  order  to  recognize  the  qualities  of 
the  Virtues  of  our  Venerable  Father.  To  begin  I  will  set  forth  first  his 
Humility,  which  Saint  Augustine  calls  the  foundation  of  the  whole 
structure  of  the  spiritual  edifice,  and  I  will  try  to  make  a  design  of  that 
structure  which  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  erected  by  the  exercise 
of  these  virtues  following  the  outline  of  Fortunato  Scaccho,  quoted  by 
the  Most  Holy  Father,  Benedict  XIV  (Book  3  de  Canoniz.  SS.  cap.  24, 
nimi.  48) ,  who  says :  "This  virtue  of  humility  is  so  necessary  and  essential 
in  the  imitators  of  Christ  that  according  to  the  dogmas  which  Jesus 
Christ  taught,  we  believe  it  to  be  the  foundation  for  the  whole  spiritual 
superstructure  as  set  forth  in  the  law  of  the  Gospel.  And  as  many  acts 
of  virtue  in  an  heroic  degree  are  necessary  in  any  Believer  and  Catholic  in 
order  to  attain  unto  perfect  holiness,  therefore  whenever  we  look  for  the 
proofs  of  the  holiness  of  any  Servant  of  God,  the  first  thing  we  search  for 
is  his  Himiility." 


288  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


PARAGRAPH  I 
His  Deep  Humility, 

It  is  the  opinion  of  Saint  Bernard,  as  cited  by  St.  Thomas  of  Villa- 
nueva  (Cone.  I  de  S.  Martino),  that  Humility  is  a  virtue  by  which  a  man, 
having  true  knowledge  concerning  himself,  esteems  himself  as  despicable, 
recognizing  how  miserable  and  contemptible  he  is  because  he  has  a  deep 
and  clear  knowledge  of  himself.  This  most  noble  virtue  the  Divine 
Master  set  before  his  Disciples  and  Apostles,  both  in  word  and  example: 
*^Discite  a  me  quia  mitis  sum  et  humilis  corde'^:  "Learn  of  me  for  I  am 
meek  and  humble  of  heart."  This  divine  teaching  so  impressed  itself 
upon  the  himible  heart  of  His  servant,  Fr.  Junipero,  that,  when  the  Lord 
called  him  by  means  of  His  Divine  Grace  to  Apostolic  work,  he  im- 
mediately proposed  in  his  heart  to  carry  out  the  injunction,  following 
His  doctrine  as  far  as  it  was  possible  to  do  so.  And  he  put  it  into  prac- 
tice when  he  began  his  office  of  preaching  by  removing  the  sandals  from 
his  feet  in  imitation  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  Venerable  Mother,  Sister 
Maria  de  Jesus  de  Agreda  tells  us  in  her  "Mystica  Cuidad"  (Part  II, 
Book  4,  cap.  28,  num.  685),  and  by  conforming  himself  to  the  humble  use 
of  the  hemp  sandals  which  he  had  used  before  coming  to  the  College 
where  he  began  to  use,  in  imitation  of  his  colleagues,  the  ordinary  san- 
dals, but  which,  when  he  started  out  for  the  Missions  of  the  Sierra  Gorda 
he  discarded,  taking  up  again  the  use  of  the  hemp  sandals,  which  he  was 
accustomed  to  wear  until  quite  worn  out. 

Pope  Benedict  XIV,  in  speaking  of  the  acts  of  this  virtue  of  humility, 
counts  among  other  things  the  sincere  denial  of  oneself  by  means  of 
which  one  comes  to  regard  himself  as  a  worthless  servant  as  far  as  good 
works  are  concerned,  as  St.  Luke  tells  in  cap.  17,  verse  10,  ''Cumfe- 
ceritis  omnia  quae  praecepta  sunt,  etcJ^^^  To  such  a  degree  did  Father 
Junipero  consider  himself  as  an  unprofitable  servant  among  the  other 
Missionaries,  that  when  he  returned  to  his  Mission,  after  visiting  all 
the  others,  he  would  often  break  forth  with  these  humble  and  earnest 
words:  "I  have  come  back  very  much  edified  by  the  fervent  zeal  of  all 
my  colleagues  and  by  the  great  progress  they  are  making  in  their  Mis- 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  289 

sions  in  both  temporal  and  spiritual  things.  Indeed,  this  is  the  Mission 
that  seems  to  be  most  behind,"  as  we  have  already  said  in  Chapter 
XLIX.  This  was  true  not  only  concerning  his  activities  among  the 
Missions  to  the  pagans  but  also  in  his  Missions  among  the  faithful.  He 
was  always  reckoning  himself  as  quite  useless  and  being  edified  by  the 
fruit  he  saw  from  the  work  of  the  other  Missionaries.  But  the  truth  of 
the  matter  is  that  his  Reverence  gathered  more  fruit  than  they  all,  and 
many  were  the  conversions  that  followed  from  his  eloquent  sermons, 
though  he  reckoned  himself  as  much  less  eloquent  than  any  of  them, 
often  speaking  of  himself  as  unprofitable  and  without  skill,  lamenting 
his  defect  in  this  respect  which  hindered,  in  his  opinion,  the  greater 
glory  of  God  and  the  helpful  influence  of  the  College,  and  in  punctual 
fulfillment  of  his  duty  in  obedience. 

After  having  labored  with  great  enthusiasm  and  fervor  in  the  con- 
version of  the  people  of  the  Sierra  Gorda,  his  virtue  of  obedience  brought 
him  to  occupy  the  place  of  Vicar  in  the  choir  in  which  he  offered  to  sing. 
He  accepted  the  assignment  with  all  humility  and  submission,  dep- 
recating himself  at  the  same  time  on  account  of  his  unfitness  for  it  be- 
cause he  did  not  know  how  to  sol  fa^  as  we  have  said.  At  another  time 
when  obedience  made  him  ** Master  of  Novices"  he  deplored  his  worth- 
lessness,  but  in  order  to  be  obedient  he  accepted  the  charge  with  the 
intention  of  exercising  himself  not  as  a  teacher  but  as  a  Novice,  practic- 
ing everything  like  the  latest  arrival  in  the  novitiate  of  the  College,  as  we 
have  also  noted.  He  added  to  this  all  that  his  fervent  spirit  dictated, 
without  being  troublesome  to  his  novices,  of  whom  there  are  some  still 
living  in  the  College  who  count  themselves  happy  and  privileged  in  hav- 
ing been  the  pupils  of  so  exemplary  a  Master. 

Another  act  of  humility  in  the  Servants  of  God  is  mentioned  by 
Benedict  XIV;  namely,  that  of  feeling  a  desire  to  escape  from  the  honors 
and  applause  which  may  be  offered  and  to  refuse  to  receive  dignities 
except  when  compelled  to  do  so  by  the  orders  of  superiors.  We  have 
already  spoken  of  how  this  man  renounced  the  applause  which  he  had 
won  in  his  native  land  and  beloved  Province  and  how  he  was  not  content 
with  that  but  as  soon  as  we  had  gone  on  board  the  vessel  he  said  to  me 
at  once:  *' Let  us  have  done  with  all  this  matter  of  respect  and  superior- 
ity between  us  two;  we  will  have  no  more  of  'Your  Lordship'  and  ' Your 
Reverence,'  as  we  are  in  every  respect  equals."  Whenever  it  came  to 
doing  any  work  which  presented  itself  to  be  done,  he  always  considered 


290  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

himself  the  less  capable  of  us  two,  very  much  to  my  shame  and  confusion 
oftentimes  and  the  wonderment  of  those  who  saw  the  action,  so  that  no 
sooner  did  any  one  set  eyes  on  him,  were  he  ecclesiastic  or  secular,  and 
even  those  of  highest  dignity  and  of  religious  Orders,  than  they  all 
formed  the  opinion  of  him  that  he  was  very  humble,  learned,  and  holy. 

This  was  the  opinion  that  all  the  friars  of  the  monastery  of  Malaga 
formed  of  him.  This  was  the  first  place  where  we  set  foot  after  leaving 
Mallorca.  And  he  who  most  noticed  his  humility  and  his  knowledge  of 
literature  was  the  Reverend  F.  Guardian,  Lector  Emeritus  of  that 
Province  of  Granada,  who,  wishing  to  verify  the  opinion  he  had  formed 
of  Fr.  Junipero,  sought  to  show  him  honor;  but  he  soon  discovered  he 
was  not  in  error  as  to  the  opinion  he  had  formed  at  first.  As  soon  as  the 
humble  Father  perceived  the  excess  of  affection  which  that  Prelate 
sought  to  show  him,  he  immediately  determined  to  separate  himself  and 
got  me  to  go  back  with  him  to  the  vessel.  In  the  same  way  the  Rev- 
erend Commissary  of  the  Missions,  as  soon  as  we  arrived  at  the  convent 
at  Cadiz,  formed  a  high  opinion  of  him,  as  did  also  the  Fathers  from  the 
Commission  of  our  College,  as  well  as  those  of  the  commission  from  the 
College  of  Quer^taro  who  were  in  the  other  convent  with  their  Com- 
missary, who  was  at  the  same  time  Commissary  for  all  Missions  and 
Missionary  Colleges. 

A  very  similar  opinion  of  him  was  held  by  the  Captain  and  the  officers 
of  the  ship,  as  soon  as  they  saw  him  come  on  board,  and  similarly  the 
members  of  the  crew,  down  to  the  very  lowest.  The  same  was  true  of  all 
the  Dominican  Fathers  and  their  President,  who  had  been  a  professor  at 
Salamanca,  and  who  immediately  formed  qtdte  an  intimate  acquaint- 
ance with  the  Venerable  Father  because  he  esteemed  him  above  all  the 
rest.  The  same  thing  is  true  of  the  secular  people  wherever  he  met  them 
on  the  road,  or  in  the  towns,  or  in  the  inns  where  he  stopped,  not  only 
when  he  was  engaged  in  his  work  of  conducting  a  Mission  but  even  when 
he  was  going  through  on  a  journey,  as  he  always  left  behind  him  a  great 
reputation  for  humility  and  sanctity.  Many  remembered  him  after 
years  and  years,  as  his  face  made  a  deep  impression  on  them.  Rather 
let  us  say  that  it  was  his  virtues  which  he  had  imprinted  upon  his  whole 
humble  countenance.  It  is  evident  that  these  were  immediately  rec- 
ognized by  the  illustrious  Bishops  of  Puebla  de  los  Angeles  and  of 
Oaxaca  or  Antequera  when  he  went  to  preach  in  that  city  with  five  other 
Missionaries  from  our  College.    When  the  six  of  them  passed  through 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  291 

the  city  of  Puebla  they  went  to  see  His  Lordship  in  order  to  obtain  his 
blessing  and  the  right  to  hear  Confessions  in  the  towns  of  his  diocese, 
through  which  they  must  pass  before  arriving  at  Oaxaca.  As  soon  as 
this  illustrious  Prelate  had  set  his  eyes  on  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero 
(who  had  not  acted  as  spokesman,  as  he  was  not  the  president  of  the 
little  band,  but  another  who  was  older),  the  Bishop  asked  him  what  his 
name  was.  Then  he  turned  to  his  secretary  and  said:  " To  this  Father 
you  are  to  give  general  and  perpetual  license  to  hear  the  Confessions  of 
men,  women  and  nuns,  even  of  cloistered  nuns.  To  the  others  you  are 
to  give  license  to  hear  the  Confessions  of  the  men  and  women  only." 

His  Lordship  of  Oaxaca,  as  soon  as  he  saw  him  granted  him  the  same 
right  and  recommended  to  him  that  he  conduct  a  Mission  for  the  benefit 
of  the  entire  clergy  behind  closed  doors.  This  he  did  with  the  edification 
of  all  and  with  great  fruit,  he  being  esteemed  by  all  as  very  learned  and 
equally  eloquent  and  prudent,  as  has  been  indicated  in  Chapter  X. 

Though  they  had  little  opportunity  to  converse  with  him,  they 
formed  an  equally  high  opinion  of  his  knowledge  of  literature  and  of  his 
profound  wisdom.  He  was  held  in  the  same  regard  by  all  the  Friars  of 
the  College  from  the  very  first  day  that  he  arrived  there,  for  they  con- 
sidered him  very  virtuous.  But  what  they  most  praised  in  him  was  his 
most  profound  humility  when  they  saw  him  converted  into  a  choir 
novice,  reading  with  great  willingness  at  the  table,  as  if  it  were  the  same 
as  reading  from  a  chair  in  the  University,  and  at  the  same  time  serving 
them  (as  has  been  said)  as  if  he  were  the  least  member  of  the  College. 

We  had  but  recently  arrived  when  the  Bishop,  noting  his  humility 
and  wishing  to  put  his  knowledge  of  letters  to  the  test,  assigned  to  him 
the  preaching  of  the  sermon  in  honor  of  San  Fernando,  the  Patron  Saint 
of  the  College.  In  doing  so  he  expounded  the  text.  Psalm  45:  '^Eruc- 
tavit  cor  meum  verbum  bonum:  dico  ego  opera  meaRegi'' — "My  heart  hath 
uttered  a  good  word :  I  speak  my  works  to  the  King,"  and  then  proceeded 
to  a  narration  of  all  the  life  and  virtues  of  that  Saint,  filling  not  only  his 
whole  audience  but  also  the  whole  community  with  wonderment  at  the 
marvelous  details  and  minute  references  to  his  life  and  the  way  he  wove 
them  in  with  the  verses  of  the  Psalm,  causing  many  to  regret  that  a  man 
so  learned  should  seek  to  hide  himself  in  a  comer  by  giving  himself  to 
the  work  of  preaching  to  pagans,  for  which  Missions  obedience  had  al- 
ready appointed  him.  In  order  to  prevent  his  going  many  of  the  old 
Fathers  and  the  Councilors  of  the  College  went  to  the  Reverend  Father 


292  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Guardian,  to  ask  that  he  be  not  sent  away  from  the  College.  But  the 
Prelate,  recognizing  the  very  enthusiastic  zeal  and  fervor  of  the  Vener- 
able Father  Junipero,  was  unwilling  to  deprive  him  of  a  career  which  he 
so  greatly  longed  to  enter;  namely,  that  of  converting  the  gentiles.  He 
not  only  refused  to  consent  to  his  remaining  in  the  College,  but  he  named 
him  President  of  the  holy  Missions,  as  has  been  already  said.  However, 
when  Father  Junipero  learned  of  the  title  and  Patent  of  President,  he 
immediately  went  in  all  humility  to  the  Prelate  to  decline  the  honor, 
alleging  as  a  reason  his  lack  of  experience  and  skill  in  such  activities. 
His  appeal  was  so  effective  that  the  Reverend  Father  Guardian  had  to 
accept  his  resignation,  and  so  left  the  humble  Father  completely  satisfied. 

But  a  year  and  a  half  later  when  in  said  College  a  chapter  was  held 
in  which  the  Reverend  Father  Fr.  Bernardo  Pumeda,  formerly  Master 
of  the  Novices  and  great  expert  in  Ascetics,  was  elected  Guardian,  the 
Patent  of  President  was  again  sent  to  Father  Junipero,  and  he  was  com- 
manded under  obedience  to  accept  the  position.  This  he  did  and  served 
for  three  years,  and  although  the  office  is  one  in  which  limits  are  not  set 
as  to  time  of  service,  on  the  election  of  a  new  Guardian,  he  again  re- 
signed, saying  that  if  it  was  an  office  of  honor,  it  was  right  that  all  should 
enjoy  it,  and  for  the  same  reason  if  it  was  one  of  labor  it  should  be  allowed 
to  pass  from  one  to  another.  His  resignation  was  accepted,  and  the 
humble  Father  was  quite  pleased  to  be  without  the  dignity  of  the  posi- 
tion and  free  to  exercise  himself  in  humility,  which  he  did,  not  being 
satisfied  with  merely  instructing  the  recent  converts  and  performing  the 
usual  round  of  spiritual  duties,  as  we  have  related  in  Chapter  VH,  but  he 
also  exercised  himself  in  the  temporal  exercises,  not  disdaining  to  fulfill 
the  most  humble  and  lowly  tasks,  such  as  doing  the  work  of  a  peon,  or 
helper  of  the  mason,  or  the  work  of  carrying  stone  for  the  building  of  the 
church,  or  the  mixing  of  the  mortar  with  the  lads  as  if  he  were  one  of 
them,  and  working  with  the  men  in  carrying  the  lumber  for  the  building. 

He  would  also  help  the  masons  by  working  at  filling  in  the  chinks  in 
the  walls  when  they  had  placed  the  larger  stones  in  their  places.  He 
wore  a  most  humble  dress  in  this  employment,  his  habit  was  torn  and  he 
girded  himself  with  a  piece  of  old  cloth,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  was  in 
a  hot  climate.  On  his  feet  he  wore  a  piece  of  rawhide  such  as  the  Indians 
of  that  region  use,  and  which  in  their  language  they  call  apats  nipis, 
which  means  the  same  as  the  other  word  guarachay  sandal.  The  result 
was  that  all  who  saw  him  were  edified,  even  his  former  Master  in  Spirit- 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  293 

uality  who  had  lately  arrived  at  the  College,  the  aforesaid  Father  Pu- 
meda,  who,  when  he  saw  him  one  day  working  in  the  midst  of  a  squad 
of  more  than  twenty  Indians  who  were  carrying  a  heavy  beam,  and  the 
Father,  in  order  to  help,  thrust  his  cloth  garment  under  the  beam  so  that 
he  could  lift  with  his  shoulder,  as  he  was  shorter  than  the  rest  and  could 
scarcely  reach,  was  much  surprised  to  see  what  he  was  doing  and  called 
to  me  to  come  quickly  to  see,  supposing  that  it  would  be  a  surprise  to 
me.  He  said :  "  Behold  your  teacher,  how  he  goes  the  Way  of  the  Cross, 
and  see  what  he  wears!"  To  this  I  replied  that  those  things  were  of 
daily  occurrence.  I  might  tell  of  many  other  similar  incidents  in  proof 
of  his  humility,  but  I  will  omit  them  in  order  not  to  be  tiresome. 

If  through  his  humility  he  was  able  to  escape  from  the  prelacy  in  the 
work  of  the  Sierra  Gorda,  he  could  not  do  so  in  regard  to  the  work  in 
California,  as  he  was  obliged  to  bear  this  burden  for  seventeen  years,  or 
until  his  death.  The  greater  the  honor  which  came  to  him,  the  greater 
was  his  repugnance  for  it,  and  he  would  make  use  of  all  the  means  in  his 
power,  which  humility  and  prudence  suggested,  in  order  to  avoid  every 
occasion  of  ostentation.  At  all  the  chapters  he  was  usually  elected 
Guardian,  and  in  one  of  them  when  he  was  assured  that  the  election 
would  be  confirmed,  he  did  all  he  could  to  be  absent  from  the  College 
at  the  time  of  the  meeting,  which  was  held  while  he  was  active  in  Mexico 
securing  better  attention  for  the  California  Missions.  Although  it  was 
a  long  time  before  he  could  go  north,  as  the  vessel  was  not  to  sail  from 
San  Bias  for  many  months,  he  ran  away  from  the  honor  by  going  on  to 
San  Bias  ahead  of  time,  and  so  avoided  the  danger  of  having  to  accept 
the  office  of  Guardian  of  the  College. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  his  efforts  to  flee  from  the  greater  honors 
which  had  been  prophesied,  as  is  also  evident  from  his  Apostolic  zeal 
for  the  increase  of  the  California  establishments.  Two  years  before  his 
death  he  found  himself  in  great  straits  on  account  of  the  backward  con- 
dition of  the  Missions,  as  those  who  should  have  given  him  warmest 
support  and  assistance  were  doing  the  contrary,  hindering  and  seeking 
to  destroy  the  Missions  both  in  spiritual  and  temporal  matters.  After 
speaking  to  me  of  the  distress  which  this  situation  caused  his  heart,  I  said 
to  him :  "  My  dear  Father  Lector,  it  would  not  be  a  bad  thing,  but  rather 
a  good  thing  and  proper  if  you  would  write  to  His  Excellency,  Don 
Galvez,  who  is  at  present  prime  minister  and  has  much  influence  with 
the  King,  and  let  him  know  in  what  condition  we  are,  and,  seeing  that 


294  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

His  Excellency  was  the  first  promoter  of  this  Conquest,  he  might  inter- 
cede with  His  Majesty  for  their  conservation  and  increase."  To  this 
he  replied  with  a  tender  sigh:  "If  that  gentleman  were  not  able  to  do  so 
much  as  he  is  able  to  do  I  would  write  to  him,  but  as  he  can  do  so  much 
I  should  not  like  him  to  know  that  I  am  still  alive.  Let  us  commend  it 
to  God  who  can  do  all  things."  This  expression  indicated  that  he  had 
in  mind  what  had  been  talked  about  for  some  years;  namely,  that  a 
great  honor  was  awaiting  him,  and  in  order  to  escape  from  it  he  pre- 
ferred that  he  should  be  considered  as  having  already  died. 

II.    THE  CARDINAL  VIRTUES 

After  having  laid  the  foundation  of  the  spiritual  edifice  on  the  virtue 
of  humility,  there  remains  the  work  of  raising  the  strong  columns  which 
are  to  sustain  the  beautiful  superstructure  of  Christian  Perfection.  It 
is  the  opinion  of  Saint  Bernard  that  these  columns  are  the  four  cardinal 
virtues,  so  called  because  they  are,  as  it  were,  the  pivotal  points  in  per- 
fection.    The  first  of  these  virtues  is 

Prudence 

This  is  the  virtue  which  regulates  all  the  rest  and  therefore  if  the 
others  rise  to  a  degree  of  heroism,  this  one  must  also.  This  is  the  salt 
which  serves  to  season  alj,  and  in  order  to  season  so  as  to  satisfy  all 
palates,  it  can  easily  be  seen  how  very  heroic  must  be  the  virtue  of  Pru- 
dence. Speaking  of  it  Saint  Anthony,  Abbot,  in  a  spiritual  conference 
with  his  children  after  hearing  their  opinions,  gave  his  own  as  follows: 
"Prudence  is  the  most  necessary  of  all  the  virtues  because  it  teaches  us 
to  choose  between  the  two  extremes  which  are  nearly  always  vicious." 
This  most  noble  virtue  shone  forth  most  notably  in  the  Servant  of  God, 
Fr.  Junipero.  This  was  evident  in  the  careful  direction  of  his  own  acts 
and  of  those  of  others.  He  ruled  his  own  spirit,  having  united  himself 
to  the  Supreme  Good,  avoiding  all  precipices  in  order  not  to  fall  into 
perils.  He  also  illumined  with  discretion  his  fellowmen  who  consulted 
him  as  to  their  doubts,  both  in  the  Confessional  and  outside  of  it;  and 
all  were  edified  and  consoled  by  his  wise  and  prudent  opinions  which 
ever  seemed  to  have  in  view  their  spiritual  good. 

He  was  simple  in  his  modesty  and  his  humility  was  without  affecta- 
tion, without  show,  without  haughtiness;    his  devotion  was  without 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  295 

hypocrisy.  His  religious  plainness  was  without  any  vicious  relaxation. 
He  was  always  most  docile  and  distrustful  of  himself  in  the  making  of 
decisions  and  ever  ready  to  consult  his  companions,  even  when  they  were 
of  much  less  age  and  experience.  This  he  would  justify  by  using  the  old 
saying  that ' '  four  eyes  see  more  than  two . ' '  This  was  his  rule,  especially 
in  serious  matters,  of  which  there  were  many  in  the  Spiritual  Conquest 
of  the  Sierra  Gorda,  and  more  so  in  the  Califomias,  especially  in  Upper 
California.  Whenever  he  could  he  would  consult  with  the  Prelate  of 
the  College  and  with  its  Councilors,  sending  them  copies  of  the  letters' 
which  he  received  from  Their  Excellencies,  the  Viceroys,  Commander- 
Generals  and  Governors  of  the  Provinces,  at  the  same  time  forwarding 
his  replies  that  they  might,  before  being  sent  to  their  destination,  be 
read  by  the  Prelate  and  the  Fathers  of  the  Council.  He  was  willing  to 
submit  to  their  prudent  opinions,  on  account  of  his  distrust  of  himself, 
and  he  would  beg  them  to  strike  out  any  part  which  they  thought  it 
prudent  to  suppress.  In  this  way  he  put  himself  on  the  very  lowest  level 
by  admitting  the  opinion  of  others,  in  order  to  allow  room  for  true  dis- 
tinctions between  the  false  and  the  true,'the  evil  and  the  good,  the  hurtful 
and  the  helpful,  by  giving  room  for  the  opinions  of  others. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  God  had  endowed  him  with  especial  gifts  of 
nature,  of  intelligence,  circumspection,  caution,  experience,  sharpness  of 
wit,  on  account  of  his  profound  humility  he  did  not  recognize  himself  as 
possessing  these  talents  and  would  appeal  to  the  judgment  of  others, 
especially  that  of  the  Prelate.  With  this  help  and  his  own  diligence  he 
attained  continual  success  in  all  the  very  serious  matters  which  pre- 
sented themselves  in  these  Spiritual  Conquests,  leaving  them  finally  in 
such  a  flourishing  condition,  after  so  short  a  period  of  labor,  that  they 
have  been  the  wonder  of  all  who  have  seen  them  or  read  of  them. 

It  is  no  less  a  proof  of  his  heroic  prudence  that  he  maintained  his 
position  for  so  many  years  as  President  and  Superior  over  a  Community 
which  was  widely  distributed  over  a  region  two  hundred  leagues  or 
more  in  length,  in  which  the  workers  were  far  apart  and  far  removed 
from  the  supervision  of  their  Prelate  and  who  might  have  become  luke- 
warm in  their  service.  But  such  was  the  prudence  of  the  fervent  Prel- 
ate that  he  always  kept  his  subordinates  happy  and  content  under  his 
orders  so  that  there  never  was  the  slightest  complaint  raised  against 
this  revered  Superior.  He  always  brought  it  about  that  his  subordinates 
were  well  satisfied  with  the  Mission  to  which  he  assigned  them,  and  he 


296  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

was  accustomed  to  visit  them  once  a  year  when  this  was  possible.  With 
this  visit  they  were  always  greatly  consoled,  made  happy  and  zealous 
in  their  Apostolic  ministry,  resting  under  this  leafy  shade  so  happily 
that  we  may  say  of  them  what  the  holy  text  says  of  the  Prophet  Elijah 
(Chap.  19,  ist  Book  of  Kings,  verse  5);  namely,  that  **he  lay  down  and 
slept  beneath  the  shade  of  a  Juniper  tree" — "Projecitque  se  et  obdor- 
mimi  in  umbra  jumper o.'*  For  although  it  was  a  tree  of  no  great  height 
and  we  were  all  stretched  out  over  this  region  of  more  than  two  hundred 
leagues,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  shade  is  supposedly  small  in  com- 
parison with  the  size  of  the  tree,  it  covered  us  all  with  its  continuous  and 
efficacious  counsels  which  were  ever  being  sent  out  by  his  well-cut  pen. 
And  these  counsels  not  only  served  to  direct  us  but  also  to  comfort  and 
inspire  us,  and  others  with  us,  in  the  work  of  the  Conversion  of  the 
gentiles  and  in  the  spiritual  and  temporal  development  of  the  Missions. 
This  very  especial  gift  of  counsel,  which  was  a  fruit  of  his  prudence, 
was  not  only  noticeable  to  us,  his  subordinates,  who  were  in  close  con- 
tact with  this  Servant  of  God,  but  it  also  was  helpful  to  as  many  as  con- 
sulted him.  All  were  edified  and  convinced  of  the  value  of  his  advice 
when  he  made  them  see  the  right  and  freed  them  from  their  doubts. 

Justice 

The  second  of  the  cardinal  virtues  is  Justice,  the  second  colimm 
in  the  structtu-e  of  the  spiritual  edifice,  concerning  which  Saint  Anselm 
(in  his  work  Cur  Deus  homo)  says  that  it  is  "a  liberty  of  the  manly  spirit 
which  gives  to  each  one  his  own  worth:  to  the  superior  it  gives  reverence; 
to  the  equal,  peace  and  concord;  to  the  inferior,  teaching  and  advice; 
obedience  to  God,  sanctification  to  oneself,  patience  towards  the  enemy 
and  a  practical  compassion  for  the  needy:"  ^'Justitia  est  animi  libertas, 
tribuens  unicuique  suam  propriam  dignitatem:  majori  reverentiam,  pari 
concordiam,  minori  disciplinam,  Deo  obedientiam^  sibi  sanctimoniam^ 
inimico  patientiam,  egeno  operosam  misericordiamJ^ 

This  virtue,  with  all  its  acts,  to  which  Saint  Anselm  refers,  was  pos- 
sessed and  practiced  by  the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  in  that  he  treated 
all  in  accordance  with  the  worth  of  each  one,  giving  to  the  superior  all 
reverence,  to  his  equals  peace  and  concord,  and  to  his  inferiors  instruc- 
tion and  advice;  to  God  he  gave  all  due  obedience,  to  himself  rectitude 
in  all  his  acts,  to  the  adversary  who  hindered  his  most  earnest  desires, 
patience,  and  to  the  poor  and  needy  practical  charity. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  297 

In  his  whole  life  he  tried  to  show  all  due  reverence  first  as  a  child 
to  his  parents,  and  later  in  the  Order  to  all  his  superiors,  revering  them 
with  the  utmost  submission,  obeying  both  in  what  they  suggested  as 
well  as  in  what  they  commanded.  In  this  point  he  was  conspicuous 
in  his  desire  to  not  fail  even  in  the  very  least  in  carrying  out  the  will 
of  the  Prelate.  We  have  siifficient  proof  of  this  in  the  letter  which  he 
wrote  me  from  the  town  of  Tepic  and  of  which  there  appears  a  copy  in 
Chapter  XXXIV. 

It  is  also  manifest  in  what  he  did  with  respect  to  one  of  the  Bene- 
factors both  of  the  College  and  of  the  new  Conquest.  While  he  was 
busy  in  the  work  of  founding  the  Mission  of  Our  Father,  San  Francisco, 
a  letter  came,  asking  him  to  send  a  personal  report  concerning  all  the 
affairs  of  that  port  and  of  what  had  taken  place  in  the  founding  of  the 
two  Missions  and  of  the  fort  or  garrison,  he  being  asked  to  send  an  ex- 
tended reply.  At  the  same  time  he  received  a  letter  from  the  Prelate 
in  which  the  latter  told  him  not  to  give  out  any  information  to  seculars. 
This  command  he  complied  with,  sending  along  the  letter  which  he  had 
received  from  the  Benefactor,  to  the  Prelate,  and  he  adds  this:  "I  have 
received  your  letter  at  the  same  time  that  I  received  this  letter  and  I  am 
so  ready  to  obey  your  orders  that  I  have  not  answered  the  Benefactor 
or  acknowledged  the  receipt  of  his  letter;  but  it  will  greatly  please  me, 
now  that  your  Reverence  has  been  fully  informed  concerning  every- 
thing, if  you  will  satisfy  the  request  of  the  Benefactor  and  please  excuse 
me  to  him  for  not  having  written  directly  on  account  of  my  being  very 
much  occupied,  as  indeed  I  am." 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  from  the  contents  of  this  letter  the 
Father  President  might  easily  have  tmderstood  that  this  man  was  not 
included  in  the  restriction  made  but  that  reference  was  to  private  in- 
dividuals, he  did  not  so  construe  the  tenor  of  it,  but  preferred  to  give  it 
a  literal  interpretation  as  if  he  were  asked  to  write  only  to  the  Prelate. 
But  he  shortly  afterwards  knew  that  he  need  not  to  have  been  so  partic- 
ular, for  in  the  reply  from  the  Prelate  he  saw  that  he  had  not  written 
with  the  intention  of  making  such  close  restriction,  but  had  intended 
that  he  might  inform  privately,  about  the  whole  truth,  those  persons 
whom,  as  President,  he  might  consider  it  expedient  to  write  to  for  the 
best  welfare  of  the  Conquest,  but  not  to  individuals  who  might  give  out 
incorrect  information,  and  who  are  accustomed  to  repeat  what  they  hear 
from  the  soldiers,  who  indeed  have  no  formal  knowledge  of  affairs. 


298  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

On  another  occasion  he  also  received  a  letter  from  the  Prelate  in 
which  the  order  came  to  suspend  the  Channel  Missions  for  the  reasons 
which  were  given,  at  the  time  when  already  one  of  the  three  had  been 
founded.  Now  as  he  was  so  very  exact  in  not  wanting  to  vary  in  the 
slightest  from  the  wish  of  the  Prelate  he  began  to  fear  that  it  would 
be  such  a  variation  if  the  Mission  were  continued  and  he  doubted  whether 
he  ought  not  to  order  it  suspended.  He  could  scarcely  rest  until  he  had 
secured  the  opinion  of  the  Missionaries  nearest  at  hand,  and  until  these 
had  given  it  as  their  opinion  that  the  Mission  already  founded  before 
the  receiving  of  the  order  was  not  to  be  included,  but  only  the  two  on 
which  work  had  not  yet  been  begun,  as  has  been  fully  explained  in  Chap- 
ter LV. 

He  always  tried  to  maintain  great  peace  and  concord  among  all, 
treating  not  only  his  equals  but  even  the  most  insignificant  person  with 
great  courtesy  and  fatherly  love,  giving  to  all  coimsel  and  instruction, 
directing  them  all  toward  heaven  with  his  salutary  coimsels  and  his  clear 
doctrine,  as  has  been  related  at  length  in  this  story  of  his  life.  In  all 
and  through  all,  he  tried  ever  to  keep  in  view  the  holy  law  of  God,  the 
Divine  Commandments,  those  of  the  Holy  Church,  and  of  our  Seraphic 
and  Apostolic  Rule,  observing  all  of  these  precepts  in  order  not  to  fall 
short  in  his  obedience  to  God  and  conserving  for  himself  Justice,  Sancti- 
fication,  and  True  Piety;  sibi  sanctimoniam. 

He  was  so  assiduous  in  the  practice  of  this  virtue  in  all  his  actions 
and  deeds,  and  apparently  also  in  his  thoughts,  that  everything  which 
cotdd  be  seen,  or  heard,  or  experienced  in  him,  seemed  all  to  be  addressed 
to  God  and  for  the  good  of  his  neighbor.  His  conversations  and  talks 
were  always  edifying,  and  if  persons  not  present  were  mentioned  and 
something  was  said  which  might  lessen  the  warmth  of  his  charity  toward 
his  fellow,  he  woiild  always  try  to  change  the  conversation,  or  else  would 
say  clearly  "Let  us  not  talk  about  that,  as  it  distresses  me."  So  that 
we  might  say  of  him  what  was  said,  by  Pliny,  of  the  shade  of  the  tree 
whose  name  he  bears  in  a  quotation  made  by  Nicholas  of  Lyra  (Lib.  3,, 
Reg.  Cap.  19,  V. 5.),  namely,  that  *'it  drives  from  it  snakes  and  all  other 
poisonous  animals:"  ^^  Juniperus  arbor  est  crescens  in  desertis,  cujus  um- 
bram  serpentes  fugiunt,  et  ideo  in  umbra  ejus  homines  secure  dormiunt.^' 
Such  indeed  was  our  experience  when  in  the  presence  of  Our  Junipero, 
for  in  his  presence  nothing  was  heard  and  no  word  could  be  said  which 
was  not  edifying.    And  if  any  one  forgot  himself  he  immediately  showed 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  299 

in  his  face  such  a  repugnance  to  such  conversation  that  it  served  as  a 
means  of  correction  and  the  conversation  was  immediately  changed, 
passing  on  to  the  theme  which  he  seemed  always  to  have  in  his  heart 
and  mind,  namely,  the  increase  of  the  Conversion  of  gentiles. 

Another  act  of  the  virtue  of  Justice,  Saint  Anselm  tells  us,  is  that 
of  having  patience  with  our  enemy:  inimico  patientiam.  This  servant 
of  God  had  no  other  enemy  than  he  whom  he  recognized  as,  or  who 
showed  himself  to  be,  an  enemy  of  God,  or  whom  he  saw  was  trying  by 
his  acts  to  hinder  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith  and  the  Conversion  of 
heathendom.  Toward  the  former  he  showed  his  kindness  through 
loving  admonitions,  trying  with  homilies  and  sermons  to  make  them  the 
friends  of  God;  toward  the  latter  he  never  showed  any  sign  that  he  was 
offended  at  them  but  tried  little  by  little  to  get  them  to  work  as  helpers 
in  this  holy  task.  Through  his  great  patience  he  was  frequently  able 
to  obtain  the  end  sought  in  many  cases,  but  with  others  who  wotdd  not 
help,  he  showed  no  sign  of  feeling,  but  wotdd  relieve  his  own  sorrow  by 
saying:  "It  cannot  yet  be  the  will  of  God  to  have  it  so,  the  harvest  is 
not  yet  ripe,  God  will  dispose  in  accord  with  his  own  good  pleasure." 
So  he  tried  to  do  good  to  as  many  as  he  was  able  to  touch. 

A  case  in  point  that  illustrates  this  was  the  experience  of  the  official 
who  obliged  him  to  make  the  laborious  journey  to  Mexico  and  back  in 
search  of  more  favorable  dispositions  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith 
and  the  conservation  of  the  new  establishments  and  whom  the  Royal 
Council  determined  to  retire  from  command.  When  he  [the  deposed 
Commander]  was  about  to  leave  Monterey,  after  the  arrival  of  the  new 
Commander,  fearing  he  might  not  be  well  received  by  His  Excellency, 
he  got  one  of  the  Missionaries  who  stood  high  in  the  esteem  of  the  Presi- 
dent to  ask  him  for  a  letter  of  recommendation  to  the  Viceroy.  He 
[Serra]  replied  at  once  that  he  would  do  so  with  pleasure  and  carried 
out  his  promise  with  such  kindness  and  at  the  same  time  with  such 
secrecy  that  the  person  recommended  did  not  know  what  was  the  content 
of  the  letter  as  he  had  sent  it  sealed  and  through  other  channels.  How- 
ever, on  arriving  at  Mexico  he  felt  the  effects  of  the  letter,  for  His  Excel- 
lency put  him  in  charge  of  a  company,  with  the  title  of  Captain  over 
them.  His  Excellency,  much  edified  by  this  act  of  kindness  on  the  pai^ 
of  Father  Junipero,  judging  that,  having  forgotten  what  this  man  had 
made  him  suffer  in  the  long  journey  of  coming  and  going  from  Mexico, 
wanted  to  secure  his  promotion  as  a  return  for  these  sufferings,  as  well 


300  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 


as  for  all  the  other  things  he  had  been  made  to  bear.  These  were  the 
merits  which  his  Reverence  had  gained  in  this  Conquest.  All  this  he 
read  in  the  letter  which  His  Excellency  sent  him  in  reply,  and  which  I 
have  at  hand.    It  reads  as  follows : 

"In  your  letter  of  the  19th  of  June  last,  your  Reverence  expresses  sorrow  at  seeing 
the  Official  who  had  previously  been  in  command  deposed  from  his  position  at  the 
head  of  the  [California]  establishments,  and  incited  by  your  fervent  piety,  you 
recommend  his  merit,  applying  to  him  the  services  which  you  yourself  have  accom- 
plished, in  order  to  give  greater  value  to  the  work  he  did.  This  Officer  arrived  here 
sick,  but  as  soon  as  there  is  an  opportunity  he  will  have  reason  to  know  from  my 
action  how  very  deserving  I  consider  the  pious,  honest,  and  religious  act  which  your 
Reverence  has  shown  me,  and  how  desirous  I  am  to  contribute  in  a  way  that  will 
be  satisfactory  to  the  interests  of  this  person.  May  God  keep  your  Reverence  many 
years.  Mexico,  2nd  of  January,  1775.  Knight  Commander  Antonio  Bucareli  y 
Ursua.     To  the  Reverend  Father  Fr.  Junipero  Serra." 

Other  similar  incidents  I  might  repeat  but  I  will  omit  them  in  order 
to  give  space  to  his  remaining  virtues,  passing  on  to  the  last  action  of 
justice  to  which  Saint  Anselm  refers:  egeno  operosam  misericordiam}^ 
In  both  the  Missions  in  which  this  tireless  laborer  worked  so  gloriously, 
that  is,  in  the  Sierra  Gorda,  among  the  Pame  nation,  and  in  Old  and  New 
Califomias,  he  had  very  open  fields  in  which  to  exercise  this  aspect  of  the 
virtue  of  justice:  egeno  operosam  misericordiam.  For  the  inhabitants  of 
both  regions  are  all  of  them  such  poor,  miserable  and  needy  creatiires, 
both  in  matter  of  food  and  in  matter  of  clothing  to  cover  their  naked- 
ness, that  he  always  had  abimdant  opportunity  to  exercise  the  works 
of  charity,  both  m  spiritual  and  in  temporal  things.  He  not  only  em- 
ployed all  his  talents  in  the  work  of  Evangelization,  instruction,  and 
other  spiritual  ministries,  but  also  all  his  efforts  were  directed  in  securing 
for  them  food  and  clothing,  spending  all  the  stipend  which  His  Majesty 
allowed  for  the  Missionaries.  And  as  this  was  not  sufficient  he  used 
to  ask  alms  from  benefactors  and  also  apply  the  Masses  for  this  end. 
And  in  order  that  his  converts  might  obtain  help  in  more  abtmdance 
and  with  greater  permanence,  he  instructed  them  in  the  work  of  planting, 
in  order  that  they  might  learn  how  to  harvest  the  principal  cereals  for 
food  and  also  to  make  themselves  cloth  for  clothing,  as  we  have  already 
said. 

The  thing  which  most  distressed  his  tender  heart  was  not  to  have 
anything  to  give  to  the  poor  Indians  in  their  great  need,  and  then  he 
wotdd  try  to  console  them  with  loving  words.     [When  he  had  it]  he  would 


1 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  301 

himself  distribute  food,  giving  out  what  he  needed  for  himself.  He  did 
the  same  with  the  little  cloth  he  had;  with  his  own  hands  he  used  to  cut 
out  the  shirts  and  skirts,  as  well  as  the  clouts  and  drawers  for  the  boys, 
and  with  his  own  fingers  he  became  clever  in  sewing,  so  that  he  could 
instruct  the  converts.  Thus  they  themselves  shortly  learned  how  to  sew. 
These  activities  occupied  him  during  all  the  time  that  he  was  in  the 
ministry,  as  up  to  within  three  days  of  his  death  I  myself  saw  him  oc- 
cupied with  this  task  of  cutting  out  and  distributing  cloth. 

Four  days  before  he  died,  when  we  happened  to  be  sitting  together, 
an  old  Indian  woman  came  in,  who  was  more  than  eighty  years  old. 
She  was  a  Christian  and  as  soon  as  she  had  saluted  us,  the  Venerable 
Father  arose,  and  going  into  the  little  room  where  he  slept,  he  brought 
out  a  wide  blanket  which  he  gave  to  the  old  woman.  I  smiled  and  said: 
"Is  she  going  to  pay  you  for  the  chickens?"  He  smiled  in  return  and 
said,  "Yes."  The  explanation  of  our  merriment  is  this,  that  this  old 
Indian  woman,  when  she  was  still  a  pagan,  and  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos 
was  first  founded  and  it  had  only  one  hen  with  her  little  chicks  which 
she  was  raising,  she  taught  her  little  nephew  to  kill  the  chickens  with 
his  bow  and  arrow.  Then  they  ate  them  between  the  two.  When  the 
theft  was  discovered,  they  gave  the  old  woman  the  nickname  of  "the 
old  chicken-woman"  and  this  was  the  reason  of  oiir  laughter.  But  he, 
none  the  less,  carried  out  his  merciful  intention,  and  it  was  charity  of 
this  sort  that  explains  how  it  was  that  when  he  came  to  die  there  was 
to  be  found  in  his  bed  on  the  bare  boards  nothing  more  than  half  a 
blanket,  as  we  have  noted  elsewhere. 

FORTITUDE 

In  speaking  of  this  heroic  virtue,  Saint  Ambrose,  who  is  quoted  by 
the  Seraphic  Doctor,  San  Buenaventura  (Lib  2.  Phca.  cap.  31), says  that 
"he  is  strong  who  comforts  himself  in  the  midst  of  pain:"  Est  for  Us  qui 
se  in  dolore  aliqtw  consolatur.  Great  and  incessant  were  the  pains  which 
the  Servant  of  God,  Fr.  Junipero,  suffered  on  account  of  the  sore  in  his 
foot  and  the  swelling  in  his  leg  with  which  he  was  afflicted  from  the 
year  1749  until  his  death,  as  we  have  already  seen;  yet  he  never  com- 
plained, nor  did  he  show  any  sign  of  suffering  except  ijrhen  he  was  hin- 
dered in  his  Apostolic  journeys,  or  when  the  malady  hindered  his  cele- 
brating the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  as  we  have  seen  at  the  time  of 


302  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

his  leaving  Old  California  on  his  way  North  with  the  expedition.  This 
was  the  only  time  he  ever  asked  for  medical  treatment,  in  order  that  he 
might  accomplish  his  purpose  of  being  present  when  the  Holy  Cross 
was  raised  in  the  first  port  of  San  Diego,  and  this  medical  treatment 
was  that  which  is  usually  applied  to  pack-animals,  as  we  have  related  in 
Chapter  XV,  page  68.  On  all  other  occasions,  in  spite  of  the  severe 
pains  which  he  suffered,  it  seems  that  he  foimd  consolation  in  them  to 
such  a  degree  that  he  forgot  to  ask  for  medical  treatment.  And  at  times 
when  medical  advice  and  treatment  were  to  be  had,  as  when  he  went 
to  Mexico,  and  also  when  the  vessels  came  to  these  new  settlements 
bringing  royal  surgeons,  who  gladly  offered  to  treat  him,  he  would 
reply  to  them  "Never  mind,  it  is  an  old  sore  and  would  need  a  long 
treatment;"  and  when  one  of  his  beloved  companions  insisted,  on  one 
of  these  occasions,  he  replied:  ^'Medicinam  carnalem  nunquam  exhibui 
corpori  meo^\  "I  have  never  applied  carnal  medicine  to  my  body." 

He  followed  the  same  course  in  regard  to  the  severe  pains  in  his  chest, 
frota  which  he  suffered,  produced  no  doubt  by  the  blows  from  a  stone 
which  he  used  to  give  himself  in  the  acts  of  contrition  at  the  close  of 
his  sermons,  as  well  as  by  the  act  of  extinguishing  against  his  breast  the 
lighted  torch,  in  emulation  of  San  Juan  Capistrano,  who,  on  putting  it 
out,  used  to  also  pluck  out  a  piece  of  his  skin.  From  this  he  was  several 
times  quite  seriously  injiured,  but  none  of  these  pains  ever  led  him  to 
open  his  lips  for  the  slightest  complaint,  or  ask  for  medical  treatment, 
for  it  seems  that  in  these  pains  he  foimd  consolation,  the  effect  of  his 
fortitude:  ^'Estfortis  qui  se  in  dolor e  aliquo  consolatur.*' 

Saint  Ambrose  goes  on  to  speak  concerning  this  virtue  and  says: 
"It  is  certainly  with  reason  that  that  is  called  fortitude  which  makes  a 
man  conquer  himself  and  repress  his  wrath:"  *'Et  revera  jure  ea  forti- 
tudo  vocatur,  qua  unusquisque  seipsum  vincit  iram  continet.^^  The  Ven- 
erable Father  conquered  himself  by  repressing  every  tendency  to  wrath, 
so  that  it  seemed  as  though  nothing  could  affect  him,  except  when  he 
saw  how  God  was  offended  by  sinners  and  when  he  noted  how  the  Prop- 
agation of  the  Faith  was  hindered.  Even  this,  which  might  have 
moved  him,  he  repressed  with  the  most  fervent  acceptance  of  the  will 
of  God,  expressing  his  resignation  with  a  sigh  and  these  words:  "Let 
us  leave  it  all  to  God.  May  his  Holy  Will  be  done."  Such  heroic  acts 
as  these  seemed  to  completely  suppress  in  him  all  that  was  irascible, 
leaving  him  quiet  and  cahn  as  if  nothing  had  happened.    And  shortly 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  303 

afterward  he  would  see  the  effect  of  this  resignation,  either  in  the  Con- 
version of  sinners  who  had  been  admonished  by  this  Servant  of  God 
and  who  would  come  and  surrender  themselves  at  his  feet,  asking  for 
Confession,  or  the  pagans,  moved  from  On  High,  would  come  to  him 
asking  for  Holy  Baptism. 

The  same  Saint  Ambrose  goes  on  to  speak  of  the  strong  man,  the 
man  adorned  with  the  virtue  of  fortitude,  and  he  says  that  "he  is  not 
softened  by  any  flattery  or  tinned  from  the  path  which  he  has  chosen:" 
Nullis  illecehris  emollituTj  atque  inflecHtur.  In  this  manner  did  this  man, 
from  the  time  he  was  called  by  God  to  come  and  give  his  life  for  the 
Conversion  of  the  pagans.  As  soon  as  the  Fathers  who  were  then  at 
the  head  of  that  holy  Province  observed  his  call  and  saw  that  he  al- 
ready had  received  the  Patent,  they  invited  him  not  to  leave  the  Prov- 
ince, saying  that  the  meeting  of  the  Chapter  was  at  hand  and  they 
would  make  him  Custos,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  was  young  and  that 
he  already  held  a  professorship.  But,  they  said,  that  these  were  not 
really  objections  and  incompatible  with  such  an  election.  But  neither 
these  inducements  nor  other  higher  offices  which  they  might  have  pre- 
sented to  him,  nor  the  great  esteem  in  which  he  was  held,  both  by  those 
of  the  Province  and  by  others,  were  sufficient  to  change  his  purpose,  or 
to  make  him  turn  back  from  his  holy  calling,  nor  was  it  of  less  con- 
sideration that  he  must  suffer  the  great  sorrow  of  bidding  good  by 
to  his  old  father  and  mother.  But  arming  his  heart  with  fortitude  he 
left  all  these  things,  that  he  might  devote  himself  to  the  Conversion 
of  sotds.  So  that  we  can  say  of  this  Servant  of  God,  as  Saint  Ambrose 
says,  ^^ Nullis  illecehris  emollitur,  atque  inflectitur." 

Saint  Ambrose  concludes  his  definition  of  this  heroic  virtue  by 
saying  that  ''the  strong  man  is  not  disturbed  by  adversity,  nor  is  he 
puffed  up  by  prosperity:"  ^^Non  adversis  perturbatUTj  non  extollitur 
secundis."  Such  was  his  fortitude  that  whenever  cases  of  this  sort  came 
up,  either  favorable  or  adverse  to  the  Conquest,  he  always  showed  him- 
self as  immovable,  always  of  the  same  mind,  with  his  heart  and  trust 
placed  in  the  Lord,  who  usually  consoled  him  by  bringiag  to  pass  the 
things  which  he  desired,  after  having  put  his  fortitude  to  the  test.  A 
case  in  point  is  the  one  we  have  related  concerning  the  beginning  of  this 
Conquest  in  the  first  Mission  of  San  Diego,  given  in  Chapter  XX,  on 
page  91  when,  although  the  Commander  with  all  the  members  of  the 
expedition  had  determined  to  abandon  the  first  Mission  and  the  port  of 


304  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

San  Diego  and  to  retire  to  Old  California  on  account  of  the  lack  of  pro- 
vision, setting  the  day  for  the  departure  if  no  vessel  arrived,  on  St. 
Joseph's  Day,  this  Servant  of  God  determined  that  he  would  not  leave 
his  post,  although  all  the  rest  should  retire,  because  he  cotild  not  bear 
the  great  pain  and  distress  which  the  decision  of  the  Commander  of 
the  expedition  had  caused.  Instead  he  had  absolute  trust  in  God  that 
the  retreat  wotild  not  take  place,  as  in  fact  it  did  not,  for  on  the  same 
day  of  the  Holy  Patriarch,  the  vessel  was  seen  and  the  decision  was 
reversed,  and  that  the  Conquest  was  carried  happily  forward  was  due 
to  his  magnanimity  and  fortitude. 

By  means  of  this  same  virtue  he  brought  about  the  rebuilding  of 
this  same  Mission  of  San  Diego  after  it  had  been  biu*ned  by  the  savage 
pagans  who  had  so  inhimianly  taken  the  life  of  one  of  the  Missionaries, 
Fr.  Luis  Ja3mie,  as  has  been  fully  related  in  Chapter  XL.  Although 
he  foimd  in  the  Commander  determined  opposition  to  the  reconstruc- 
tion of  the  Mission,  and  was  denied  the  escort  of  soldiers,  this  fervent 
Father  was  not  dismayed,  but  continued  to  cry  imto  God  for  help,  and 
the  Lord  comforted  him  on  the  day  of  Saint  Michael.  I  might  refer  to 
several  other  cases,  but  I  shall  omit  them,  as  I  believe  I  have  said  enough 
to  show  that  this  ardent  zeal  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith  never 
let  him  go  backward,  but  led  him  to  overcome  every  difficulty  which 
presented  itself  and  secured  for  him  the  holy  object  which  he  desired. 
Oftentimes  his  zeal  seemed  to  others  to  be  indiscreet,  but  the  very 
favorable  outcome  which  always  followed  in  favor  of  the  Propagation 
of  the  Faith  and  without  the  least  accident,  led  them  to  see  it  was  not 
indiscreet  zeal,  but  such  as  was  very  acceptable  to  God,  who  knoweth 
well  the  heart  of  each. 

The  fear  of  losing  his  life  at  the  hand  of  the  savages  never  made  him 
turn  back:  but  he  was  imdoubtedly  restrained  by  a  consideration  of 
the  evil  effects  which  might  be  produced  by  losing  his  life  at  the  hands 
of  those  to  whom  he  had  come  for  the  purpose  of  giving  spiritual  life, 
and  he  often  said  that  the  killing  of  the  Fathers,  while  it  might  serve 
to  water  the  earth,  wovild,  on  the  other  hand,  incite  the  military  forces 
to  take  vengeance,  and  from  this  would  come  about  the  loss  of  many 
unfortunate  Indians,  the  apostacy  of  the  rest,  and  the  abandonment 
of  the  Missions,  as  indeed  happened  in  the  San  Diego  Mission. 

It  was  this  thought  that  led  him,  while  in  the  Mission  of  the  Sierra 
Gorda,  to  flee  from  this  danger.     It  happened  once  that  as  he  and  his 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  305 

companion,  (the  present  Bishop  of  Merida  de  Maracaybo,  His  Lord- 
ship, Fr.  Juan  Ramos  de  Lora),  were  sitting  on  the  steps  of  the  Cross 
in  the  cemetery  of  his  Mission  at  Santiago  de  Jalpan,  about  8  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  enjoying  the  cool  air,  his  companion  suddenly  said  to 
Father  Junipero:  "Let  us  go  away  from  here.  Let  us  go  within,  as  we 
are  not  safe  here."  This  they  did,  and  on  the  next  day  they  learned 
of  a  certainty  that  a  plot  had  been  made  to  kill  them,  and  if  they  had 
not  gone  away  both  would  have  been  killed  thiere. 

On  many  other  occasions  he  found  himself  exposed  to  all  sorts  of 
danger,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  trip  from  the  San  Gabriel  Mission  to  the 
Mission  about  to  be  founded  at  San  Juan  Capistrano,  as  has  been  re- 
lated in  Chapter  XLIII,  page  190,  when  he  was  menaced  by  death 
because  he  had  run  the  risk  of  crossing  a  section  of  coimtry  inhabited 
by  savages  with  only  one  soldier.  He  ran  similar  risks  a  great  many 
times  in  the  many  trips  he  made,  so  that  we  could  say  of  him  what 
Saint  Augustine  says  of  the  strong  man,  that  "he  neither  acts  with 
foolhardiness  nor  does  he  fear  without  reason:"  Qui  vera  virtute  fortis 
est,  nee  temere  audet  nee  inconsulte  timet.  (Aug.  Epist.  29  ad  Hieroni. 
ante  med.  tom.  2.) 

TEMPERANCE 

The  last  of  the  four  colimins  in  the  spiritual  structure  is  the  fourth 
of  the  cardinal  virtues  called  Temperance  which,  in  the  opinion  of  Saint 
Augustine  (Lib.  i  de  Libr.  Arb.  Cap.  13,  Col.  580),  "is  an  affection 
of  the  mind  which  puts  a  limit  and  a  bridle  upon  all  inordinate  passions:" 
Temperantia  est  affectio  coercens,  et  cohibens  appetitum  ab  iis  rebus  quae 
turpiter  appeiuntur.  Saint  Prosper,  speaking  of  the  effects  which  this 
noble  virtue  causes  in  the  soul  which  may  be  adorned  by  it,  says  (Lib. 
3.  de  Vit.  Contemp.  Cap.  19,  page  92):  "  It  renders  temperate  and  mod- 
erates the  affections."     Temperantia  temperantem  facit,  affectus  temper  at. 

All  the  affections  of  this  Servant  of  God  seemed  to  be  directed  to- 
ward the  Propagation  of  the  Faith  and  the  enlargement  of  the  Missions, 
and  to  this  end  he  availed  himself  of  all  possible  means,  now  using 
personal  exhortation,  now  writing  edifying  letters,  soliciting  means  and 
aid  for  this  holy  purpose  with  so  much  of  efficiency  and  with  such  im- 
portunity in  his  requests  that  those  who  seemed  less  disposed  con- 
sidered him  troublesome  in  his  requests.  But  he  endured  their  remarks 
with  great  patience,  if  only  he  could  secure  his  purpose  of  seeing  the 


3o6  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

Missions  increase,  so  that  the  following  expression  was  very  often  heard 
from  his  lips:  "Let  us  thank  God  that  so  far  there  is  no  Mission  that 
has  not  children  in  heaven."  As  it  was  apparent  to  all  that  Father 
Junipero  had  a  special  genius  for  the  founding  of  new  Missions  there 
were  not  lacking  persons  in  authority  and  of  rank  who  said  concerning 
him:  ^^This  Father  Junipero  is  a  holy  matij  but  in  this  matter  of  asking 
for  help  for  the  founding  of  Missions  he  is  a  very  burdensome  saints  But 
in  this  affection,  which  was  so  extraordinary  in  him,  he  exercised  his  self- 
control  by  tempering  himself  to  the  means  and  to  the  supplies  which 
were  obtainable,  always  showing  himself  reconciled  to  the  Divine  Will 
and  to  that  of  the  Prelates. 

An  example  of  this  was  his  project  for  the  founding  of  the  three 
Missions  in  the  Channel  of  Santa  Barbara  for  which  His  Excellency, 
Don  Frey  Antonio  Maria  Bucareli,  sent  out  sufficient  troops  and  other 
necessary  supplies,  and  also  a  letter  to  the  Governor  instructing  him 
to  put  himself  in  accord  with  the  Reverend  Father  Junipero,  in  order 
to  carry  out  the  founding  of  the  Missions.  Father  Junipero  received 
at  the  same  time  a  letter  from  the  Prelate  of  the  College  in  which  he 
asked  him  to  bear  in  mind  the  great  scarcity  of  Missionaries  in  the  College 
as  no  recruits  had  arrived  from  Spain.  This  mere  suggestion  was  suf- 
ficient to  moderate  his  passion  in  regard  to  these  establishments,  and 
he  gave  up  all  consideration  of  the  matter  until  more  aid  could  be  ob- 
tained through  the  arrival  of  Missionaries  from  Spain.  But  when,  in 
the  year  1783,  he  had  not  heard  of  the  arrival  of  any,  and  when  the 
following  year  he  was  also  without  word,  it  may  be  said  that  with  the 
arrival  of  the  vessels  and  the  annoimcement  that  no  Fathers  were  to 
come  and  that  no  Missionaries  had  arrived  from  Spain,  he  accepted 
it  as  an  announcement  of  his  own  early  death,  as  has  been  said  in  Chap- 
ter LVII,  page  261. 

Saint  Prosper  again  says  concerning  the  effects  of  this  virtue  that 
"it  makes  a  man  abstemious,  sparing,  sober  and  moderate:"  abstinentem, 
parcum,  sobrium,  moderatum.  So  abstemious  was  this  Servant  of  God,' 
so  parsimonious,  so  sober  and  moderate  in  his  eating  and  drinking,  that 
with  very  little  or  with  almost  nothing  he  was  always  satisfied,  as  he 
gave  me  to  understand  in  a  letter  which  he  wrote  and  of  which  there 
appears  a  copy  in  Chapter  XIX,  page  ^^.  In  order  to  show  that  he 
was  not  stiff ering  any  need,  he  said  that  if  he  had  a  little  tortilla  (one 
of  them  would  weigh  scarcely  two  ounces,  or  probably  less)  and  some 


i 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  307 

wild  plants  from  the  field,  there  was  no  need  for  anything  more.  He 
very  seldom  touched  meat,  satisfying  himself  with  the  vegetables  which 
were  served  with  the  meal  and  with  fruit,  which  was  always  to  be  had, 
and  these  constituted  his  only  diet.  Whenever  I  said  to  him,  "How 
is  it  you  do  not  eat?"  he  would  generally  reply:  "Is  not  that  what  I  am 
doing?  This  fruit  and  the  fish  is  the  food  which  the  most  Holy  Virgin 
ate."  It  seems  that  this  consideration  caused  him  to  have  an  unusual 
liking  for  fruit  and  fish,  so  that  if  there  was  fish  he  would  eat  as  much 
as  anyone,  but  he  seemed  to  have  a  sort  of  repugnance  for  other  meat, 
and  he  would  generally  excuse  himself  to  those  who  noticed  that  he 
was  not  eating  by  saying  that  he  was  not  able  to  chew  it  well.  He 
never  complained  of  the  food.  He  never  said  that  it  was  salty,  or  sweet, 
good  or  bad,  whenever  others  remarked  about  its  lacking  in  any  of  these 
respects. 

He  was  very  sparing  in  what  he  ate.  When  he  was  at  College  he 
would  often  rise  from  the  table  when  the  meal  was  only  half  served  and 
occupy  the  pulpit  in  order  to  read  to  the  rest.  When  he  was  conducting 
a  Mission  he  observed  the  same  moderation  in  his  meals,  never  eating 
between  meals  but  only  at  set  hours,  so  that  he  was  recognized  as  being 
adorned  by  the  virtue  of  Temperance,  because  of  the  effects  of  this 
virtue  which  were  to  be  seen  in  his  conduct  and  which,  in  the  opinion 
of  Saint  Peter  Celestinus,  are  so  many  other  virtues  (Opusc.  i,  part  5, 
cap.  4). 

So  it  was  that  in  all  his  outward  actions  he  gave  abundant  proof  of 
being  a  man  adorned  with  the  virtues  of  Moderation  and  Modesty, 
of  Sobriety  and  Abstinence,  of  Purity  and  Chastity,  of  Caution  and 
Delicacy.  These  he  manifested  in  his  suppression  of  his  own  senses 
and  inclinations  in  the  poverty  and  scantiness  of  his  dress,  in  the  softness 
of  his  well-chosen  words,  in  his  grave  and  unaffected  demeanor,  in  his 
almost  continual  and  rigorous  fasting,  all  of  them  the  effects  of  Temper- 
ance, as  Saint  Prosper  says,  unless  we  are  to  say,  following  Saint  Peter 
Celestinus  and  the  Angelic  Doctor,  Saint  Thomas  (2.2.q.  141.  art.i.), 
that  "these  are  so  many  other  virtues — precious  stones  with  which  are 
constructed  the  walls  of  the  spiritual  edifice." 

The  Servant  of  God  was  not  lacking  in  the  other  effects  which  grow 
out  of  the  virtue  of  Temperance  and  which  Saint  Prosper  enumerates, 
nor  in  those  other  parts,  either  integral  or  potential  and  subjective,  to 
which  Saint  Thomas  refers  in  the  quotation  cited  above.     He  was  sen- 


3o8  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

ous  from  a  child,  and  this  seriousness  he  preserved  all  his  life,  so  that  on 
first  acquaintance  he  seemed  to  some  to  be  of  an  austere  and  unapproach- 
able character.  But  as  soon  as  anyone  had  spoken  to  him  or  treated 
with  him,  he  changed  his  mind,  considering  him  suave,  sweet,  and 
attractive,  immediately  winning  their  hearts  by  his  affection.  He  was 
also  very  bashful,  especially  with  those  with  whom  he  was  not  well 
acquainted;  but  whenever  in  the  presence  of  women  he  always  main- 
tained the  same  seriousness  and  modesty  both  in  conduct  and  in  speech, 
endeavoring  to  direct  the  conversation  toward  that  which  was  religious 
and  edifying,  relating  incidents  from  the  lives  and  deeds  of  the  saints, 
undoubtedly  with  the  purpose  of  persuading  them  to  become  devoted 
to  the  saints  or  to  imitate  them,  as  this  was  the  goal  of  all  his  desires,  an 
effect  of  his  Temperance,  desideria  sancta  muUiplicaty  as  Saint  Prosper 
says,  and  the  Servant  of  God  was  not  content  to  multiply  these  desires 
in  himself  but  also  to  have  them  multiplied  in  all  those  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact. 

Saint  Prosper  also  reckons  Penitence  among  the  effects  of  Temper- 
ance: vitiosa  castigat.  To  such  a  degree  did  Fr.  Junipero  exercise  this 
virtue  that  in  order  to  afflict  his  body  he  was  not  contented  with  the 
ordinary  exercises  of  the  College,  consisting  of  disciplines,  vigils,  and 
fastings,  but  when  by  himself  he  would  lacerate  his  flesh  with  rough 
sackcloth,  either  made  of  bristles  or  woven  with  broken  pieces  of  wire, 
and  with  these  he  covered  his  body  as  well  as  with  the  bloody  discipline 
in  the  quiet  hours  of  the  night,  retiring  for  the  purpose  to  some  one  of 
the  galleries  of  the  choir.  But  although  he  chose  a  secret  place  and  an 
hour  when  all  was  quiet,  there  were  not  lacking  religious  who  heard  the 
cruel  blows,  and  who  were  inquisitive  enough  to  wish  to  know  who  it 
was,  watching  until  they  were  able  to  discover  the  truth  and  were 
thereby  edified. 

He  was  not  satisfied  with  chastising  his  body  on  account  of  his  own 
imperfections  and  sins,  but  he  also  did  it  for  the  sins  of  others,  as,  for 
example,  in  the  exhortation  which  he  used  in  order  to  move  his  audience 
to  sorrow  and  penitence  for  their  sins,  either  using  the  stone,  with  which 
he  used  to  beat  his  breast  in  imitation  of  Saint  Jerome,  or,  in  imitation  of 
his  Special  Patron  San  Francisco  Solano,  using  a  chain  with  which  he 
scourged  himself.  Again,  he  would  take  the  lighted  torch  and  extingmsh 
it  against  his  own  uncovered  breast,  burning  his  flesh  in  imitation  of 
San  Juan  Capistrano  and  several  others,  all  with  the  purpose  not  only  of 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  309 

chastising  himself  but  of  moving  those  of  his  audience  to  penance  for      ' 
their  own  sins. 

No  less  was  the  suffering  he  bore  in  depriving  himself  of  sleep,  be- 
cause of  his  long  and  continuous  vigils.  His  rest  usually  reduced  itself 
to  the  following  program  which  he  observed  when  he  was  in  the  College. 
He  was  busy  until  midnight  when  he  would  go  to  Matins.  At  half  past 
twelve,  which  is  when  the  prayer  ends,  he  would  continue  performing 
other  exercises  which  varied  every  night:  one  night  he  would  meditate 
on  death,  another  on  the  Cross,  on  another  he  would  go  the  Via  Dolorosa, 
another  on  the  Upper  Chamber  at  the  Last  Supper,  and  there  were 
still  others,  so  that  usually  he  did  not  finish  until  four  in  the  morning. 
Then  he  would  retire,  not  to  sleep,  but  to  continue  in  prayer  until  the 
hour  of  Prime,  or  the  hour  for  saying  Mass,  which,  as  he  was  Master  of 
Novices,  he  would  say  before  Prime  on  the  days  when  there  was  no 
Communion,  and  on  the  other  days,  afterwards. 

When  he  was  conducting  a  Mission,  his  vigils  were  none  the  less 
long,  as  he  had  at  his  disposal  the  whole  night,  and  if  we  are  to  believe 
what  the  soldiers  of  his  escort  said,  he  would  pass  nearly  the  whole  night 
in  watching  and  prayer,  so  that  the  sentinels,  when  they  would  change 
watch,  would  be  always  listening  to  him,  and  they  used  to  say,  "We  don*t 
know  when  Father  Junipero  sleeps."  At  the  noon  hour  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  take  a  siesta,  or  a  little  rest,  as  he  knew  that  his  companion  or 
companions  were  awake  and  watching.  Even  in  those  intervals  when 
he  did  rest  and  sleep  it  seems  as  though  his  heart  kept  watch,  either  prais- 
ing God  or  praying,  as  on  many  occasions  in  which  we  slept  together, 
either  in  the  tent  or  under  the  shelter  of  some  arbor,  he  would  cry  out  in 
his  sleep,  using  these  sweet  words:  "Gloria  Patri,  et  Filio,  et  Spiritui 
Sancto."  When  I  would  awake  on  hearing  him  and  ask  him,  "Father, 
is  there  anything  the  matter?"  and  would  receive  no  reply,  I  would 
understand  that  he  was  asleep  or  in  an  ecstasy,  or  that  it  was  the  effect 
of  a  continued  mental  and  vocal  prayer. 

HI 

Theological  Virtues. 

Having  noted  the  deep  foundation  of  this  spiritual  edifice  which  the 
Servant  of  God,  Fr.  Junipero  Serra,  strove  to  build,  and  the  four  columns 
of  the  four  virtues  which  he  raised  up,  and  the  union  between  these 


3IO  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

made  by  other  particular  virtues  and  works  of  charity  which,  like 
precious  stones,  form,  as  it  were,  the  beautiful  and  attractive  walls,  it 
remains  for  us  to  consider  the  principal  part  of  the  temple,  which  is  like 
the  tabernacle  built  to  contain  the  Holy  of  Holies;  namely,  that  part 
which  is  formed  by  the  principal  or  theological  virtues,  because  they 
come  directly  in  touch  with  God,  with  Religion  and  with  Divine  Service. 
These  our  Servant  of  God  practiced  in  an  heroic  degree  in  accord  with  the 
teachings  of  the  two  very  learned  writers.  Cardinal  Aguirre  and  Pope 
Benedict  XIV,  whom  we  have  already  quoted.  Let  us  look  first  at  the 
virtue  of 

Faith 

This  most  noble  virtue  which,  according  to  St.  Paul  (Hebrews  XI,  i), 
is  "the  substance  of  that  which  is  hoped  for,  the  efficient  and  certain 
assurance  of  the  things  not  seen":  Sperandarum  substantia  rerum  argu- 
mentum  non  apparentium.  To  this  definition  which  the  Apostle  gives  us 
may  be  reduced  those  of  all  the  Holy  Fathers  who  treat  of  this  virtue, 
as  Benedict  XIV  says  (lib.  3,  de  Serv.  Dei  Beatif.  Cap.  23,  §1),  following 
the  teaching  of  Saint  Thomas.  The  distinguished  Apostolic  Missionary 
of  Italy,  our  Saint  Bernard  of  Siena,  in  his  Commentary  on  this  defini- 
tion (Op.  tom.  I,  Serm.  2,  de  Dom.  Quinq.  in  princ.  pag.  10,  col.  i),  says 
that  the  Apostle  calls  it  a  substance  as  if  it  were  a  pedestal  upon  which 
he  would  support  the  principal  part  of  the  spiritual  edifice. 

The  Servant  of  God  had  been  abundantly  adorned  with  this  most 
solid  virtue  from  the  time  that  God  instilled  it  in  him  at  baptism,  and 
he  began  to  show  it  forth  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  exercise  his  reason, 
setting  it  forth  from  that  time  on  in  the  heroic  acts  of  this  virtue.  These 
acts  were  increased  in  him  from  the  time  he  was  a  novice  in  his  studies. 
When  he  had  finished  these,  as  he  was  occupied  in  two  Chairs,  that  of 
Theology,  instructing  his  disciples  in  the  most  ineffable  of  mysteries,  in 
the  most  arduous  and  unsearchable  of  doctrines  (so  the  Apostle  calls 
it  in  Rom.  XI :  33,  as  we  read  in  Saint  John  Chrysostom,  Hom.  4  in  Gen.) 
with  all  the  clearness  of  which  the  human  mind  is  capable  for  the  explain- 
ing and  imparting  of  ideas  to  others,  and  also  in  the  Chair  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  explaining  in  the  points  of  doctrine  these  sovereign  mysteries  of 
the  Faith  to  those  who  were  rude  and  ignorant,  with  all  the  clearness 
and  expression,  we  might  almost  say,  of  Saint  Gregory,  so  that  his 
explanations  were  intelligible  to  those  who  were  ignorant  without  being 
tiresome  to  those  who  were  learned. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  311 

During  his  laborious  life  he  was  continually  adding  fineness  to  the 
quality  of  this  noble  virtue,  and  this  was  shown  by  the  way  it  expressed 
itself  in  his  life.  For  if  we  meditate  upon  his  Apostolic  labors  we  shall 
see  with  all  clearness  that  his  Faith  was  great,  for  we  see  in  them  the 
signs  which  are  indicated  as  demonstrating  its  greatness,  as  pointed  out 
by  Saint  Antonius  of  Florence:  Fides  alicujus  magna  ostendi  potest; 
prima  si  alta  de  Deo  sentit — "One's  faith  may  be  proved  to  be  great,  if, 
in  the  first  place,  he  has  an  exalted  idea  of  God"  (in  Sum.  part.  4,  tit. 
8,  cap.  3,  par.  7).  His  conceptions  of  God  and  of  the  Divine  attributes 
were  as  lofty  as  his  discourse  was  noble  and  his  memory  marvelous. 
Whenever  he  spoke  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  it  seemed  as  though  he  knew 
them  by  heart,  and  in  order  to  explain  some  recondite  points  and  the 
most  intricate  of  the  mysteries,  he  seemed  to  have  a  special  gift  from 
God,  as  he  would  make  use  of  examples,  symbols  and  comparisons  which 
he  would  adapt  to  the  most  rustic  mind  and  to  the  most  ignorant.  But 
in  these  explanations  he  would  reveal  to  all  what  lofty  conceptions  he  had 
of  God,  and  he  would  let  this  be  seen,  not  only  by  the  sublime  doctrine 
he  taught,  but  rather,  by  the  extraordinary  joy  and  warmth  of  feeling 
with  which  he  expressed  himself,  so  that  in  these  holy  conversations 
and  homiHes  he  seemed  almost  beside  himself,  as  they  were  often  pro- 
longed more  than  the  ordinary,  and  to  those  who  were  little  given  to 
piety  and  the  Divine  Word,  they  seemed  tiresome,  and  there  were  not 
lacking  those  who  said  they  were  not  at  all  in  accord  with  the  teachings 
of  Our  Father,  Saint  Francis.  But  as  this  most  zealous  Missionary  was 
so  learned  and  so  widely  read,  we  must  have  in  mind  the  explanation 
which  Our  Seraphic  Doctor,  San  Buenaventura,  gives  on  the  ninth 
chapter  of  Our  Seraphic  Rule:  In  brevitate  sermonis. — **0n  Brevity  of 
Speech."  "Haec  bre vitas  excludit  verborum  ambages  et  sententias 
involutas,  verba  etiam  ardua  super  capacitatem  audientium:  Ista 
enim  abreviatio  non  excludit  cum  expedit,  sermonis  prolixitatem,  quia 
Dominus  ipse  aliquando  prolixe  praedicavit,  sicut  patet  in  Joanne  (XII) 
et  Mattheo  (XV). "'^ 

From  this  lofty  conception  he  had  of  God  came  his  contempt  for  all 
the  things  which  fade  and  are  temporal,  and  which  have  nothing  to  do 
with  the  obtaining  of  the  eternal  reward  of  Heaven.  And  this  is  the 
second  sign  which  Saint  Anthony  gives  us  whereby  to  recognize  the 
greatness  of  the  Faith  of  any  servant  of  God:  Secundo  si  caduca  pro 
prosmio  ceterno  contemnit — ''Secondly,  if  he  for  the  heavenly  reward  de- 
spises worldly  things."    Enough  has  been  said  of  his  utter  disregard  for 


312  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

the  vain  and  vanishing  things  of  this  world,  for  honors,  dignities  and 
positions.  He  also  had  the  same  disregard  for  the  very  necessary- 
things  of  common  use  such  as  books,  clothing,  etc.,  so  that  when  he  died, 
among  all  the  books  which  filled  the  shelves,  hardly  a  one  could  be  said 
to  belong  to  him,  but  in  them  all  was  to  be  foimd  this  inscription,  in  his 
own  handwriting:  ''This  book  belongs  to  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos  of 
Monterey."  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  clothing  destined  for  his  own 
use  and  which  a  little  before  his  death  he  ordered  washed  and  set  aside, 
retaining  only  his  habit,  cowl,  girdle  and  drawers,  which  served  him  for 
a  shroud  at  his  burial.  In  this  way  he  showed  how  fond  he  was  of  holy 
poverty  and  how  he  despised  the  perishable  things  of  this  life. 

The  third  sign  which  Saint  Antonius  mentions  as  indicating  the 
greatness  of  one's  Faith  is  his  confidence  in  God  in  the  midst  of  all 
adversities:  Tertio  si  in  adversis  in  Deo  confidit — "Thirdly,  if  in  mis- 
forttme  he  trusts  in  God."  It  has  been  already  told  how  the  Venerable 
Father  Junipero  did  not  consider  an3^hing  as  \mfortunate  except  that 
which  hindered  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  the  Conversion  of  the 
pagans  and  their  Evangelization.  One  of  the  greatest  perplexities  in 
which  he  ever  found  himself  was  when  all  the  expeditions  wished  to  turn 
their  backs  on  the  Mission  of  San  Diego  in  order  to  rettim  to  Lower 
California,  not  allowing  more  time  than  to  the  day  of  Saint  Joseph,  as 
has  been  explained  at  length  in  the  Narrative.  In  this  great  affliction 
he  put  his  faith  in  God,  who  consoled  him  in  a  remarkable  manner,  as  has 
been  shown.  He  was  in  an  almost  equally  trying  position  in  the  same 
Mission  of  San  Diego  when  the  question  came  up  of  the  rebuilding  of 
that  Mission  and  the  founding  of  San  Juan  Capistrano.  There  are  many 
other  incidents  to  which  I  might  refer,  and  which  are  a  proof  of  his  great 
confidence  in  God. 

This  great  Trust  in  God  kept  him  from  turning  back,  but  led  him  on 
to  seek  ever  the  Conversion  of  the  savages,  and  this  brings  us  to  the 
fourth  sign  which  Saint  Antonius  gives  us  of  the  Fortitude  of  Faith: 
Quarto,  si  a  bono  opere  non  desistit — "Fourthly,  if  he  does  not  cease  doing 
good."  He  revealed  this  great  strength  of  purpose  when  he  consented, 
with  all  joy  and  good  will,  to  go  on  to  the  Conversion  of  the  Apache 
Indians  of  the  River  San  Saba,  and  that  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  of  the 
three  Fathers  who  had  gone  out  for  that  Conquest,  two  of  them  had  lost 
their  lives  at  the  hands  of  the  cruel  savages,  and  the  third  had  been 
seriously  wounded,  escaping  miraculously.    Where  one  might  have 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNIPERO  SERRA  313 

hesitated,  he  did  not  stop,  but  putting  all  his  Trust  in  God,  he  had  joy- 
fully accepted  the  appointment  of  the  Prelate  and  had  resolved  to  set 
out  for  that  Conquest. 

Other  signs  by  which  the  heroic  nature  of  one's  Faith  may  be 
recognized  are  given  by  Benedict  XIV  (lib.  3  de  Servo.  Dei  Beat,  et  Can., 
Cap.  23,  mun.  4).  These  are,  first,  the  external  confession  of  what  one 
inwardly  believes.  This  sign  was  seen  clearly  and  almost  continuously 
in  the  life  of  the  Servant  of  God,  Fr.  Junipero,  through  the  exercise  of  all 
those  outward  acts  which  he  practiced  with  regard  to  all  the  mysteries 
of  the  Faith,  which  he  accepted  with  a  most  lively  inward  belief.  And 
if  it  is  true,  as  Saint  Thomas  says  (2  2dae  q.  124.  art.  5.),  that  every  act 
of  virtue  is  a  solemn  profession  of  Faith:  Omnium  virtutum  opera  secun- 
dum quod  referuntur  in  Deum  sunt  quoedam  protestationesfidei — ''The  works 
of  all  virtues  inasmuch  as  they  are  referred  to  God  are  certain  protesta- 
tions of  Faith."  This  man  having  been  occupied,  as  we  have  seen  in  his 
Life  in  the  continuous  exercise  of  virtuous  acts,  we  must  conclude  that 
his  whole  life  was  a  continuous  profession  of  his  Faith.  In  the  second 
place  he  (St.  Thomas)  says  that  he  can  be  recognized  by  his  observance 
of  the  precepts,  and  concerning  such  obedience,  quite  sufficient  has 
already  been  said  to  show  that  there  was  no  act  of  his  which  was  not 
edifying  and  exemplary.  But  he  was  not  content  with  that,  but  earnest- 
ly desired  that  those  who  were  under  his  charge  and  who  were  young  in 
the  faith  shotdd  be  made  to  keep  the  divine  commands  with  all  punc- 
tuality, and  he  always  corrected  or  punished,  whenever  necessary,  any 
fault  which  he  saw  in  them.  The  same  was  true  in  regard  to  the 
precepts  of  Holy  Church.  All  his  people  were  so  well  instructed  that 
they  were  more  than  scrupulous  in  their  observance,  not  admitting  any 
indulgence,  unless  very  necessary,  nor  did  they  make  use  of  the  privileges 
which  the  Church  grants  to  neophytes,  as  they  were  accustomed  to 
reply  that  they  were  Christians  as  well  as  the  Spaniards;  so  they  attend- 
ed Mass  not  only  on  the  Feast  Days  when  all  did,  but  also  on  the  other 
days  when  it  was  not  obligatory  for  them  as  neophytes,  and  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  they  had  been  instructed  that  the  Church  did  not  oblige 
them  to  do  so. 

If  we  examine  the  third  sign  which  Benedict  XIV  points  out,  which 
is  Prayer  to  God,  it  is  clearly  expressed  and  fully  corroborated  from 
what  remains  to  be  said  under  the  head  of  Religion,  that  our  Servant  of 
God  was  occupied  in  almost  continual  prayer.     In  this  he  gives  a  proof 


314  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

of  the  heroic  quality  of  his  Faith.  And  it  is  equally  a  proof  of  the  same 
when  the  other  sign  which  this  Pope  indicates  is  applied  to  him:  Ex 
fidei  dilatatione,  aut  saltern  ejus  desiderio — "From  the  spreading  of  Faith, 
or  at  least  from  a  desire  to  do  so." 

His  desire  to  have  a  part  in  the  work  of  evangelization  began  very 
early  in  his  life,  as  we  have  indicated;  while  he  was  a  novice  this  was  the 
most  ardent  desire  of  his  heart,  and  also  that  he  might  be  allowed  to  shed 
his  blood,  if  necessary,  in  order  to  increase  the  number  of  the  Children  of 
Holy  Church.  And  his  heart  would  overflow  with  joy  whenever  he 
read  in  the  legends  of  the  Holy  Martyrs  how  they  had  met  death  in  de- 
fense of  the  Faith  and  in  the  work  of  its  extension.  These  same  desires 
he  had  and  kept  them  all  his  life,  and  they  led  him  to  overcome  every 
obstacle  or  danger  which  presented  itself,  and  he  seemed  to  regret  that 
he  never  was  granted  the  privilege  he  so  much  desired.  At  least,  that 
is  what  he  gave  me  to  understand,  when  he  told  me  of  the  attack  on 
him  on  the  way  to  the  San  Juan  Capistrano  Mission,  and  of  which  I 
have  given  the  details  in  Chapter  XLHI,  page  190.  He  said  to  me  after- 
wards :  * '  I  certainly  thought  that  the  hour  had  come  and  I  was  to  obtain 
what  I  had  so  long  desired."  He  used  the  same  expression  when  he  was 
threatened  with  death  by  the  heretic  Englishman,  Captain  of  the 
packet-boat  which  carried  us  from  Mallorca  to  Malaga,  and  of  which  I 
have  spoken  in  Chapter  II,  page  6. 

It  seems  that  whenever  on  any  of  these  occasions  he  was  in  danger  of 
having  to  shed  his  blood  at  the  hands  of  these  heathen  unbelievers  that 
his  heart  was  filled  with  a  great  joy,  as  was  seen  a  little  after  the  occur- 
rence at  San  Diego  Mission.  We  all  feared  that,  when  the  news  of  what 
had  occurred  there  had  been  spread  abroad  in  all  the  other  settlements, 
the  same  thing  would  be  likely  to  happen  in  any  one  of  them.  And  in 
fact,  in  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos  where  I  was  at  the  time,  making  ready 
to  go  to  the  founding  of  the  Missions  of  Our  Father,  San  Francisco,  and 
of  Santa  Clara,  with  my  other  three  companions,  there  was  a  rumor 
abroad  that  the  savage  tribe  of  Indians,  called  Zanjones,  distant  only 
about  six  leagues  from  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos,  were  planning  to  make 
an  attack  upon  that  Mission  much  as  they  had  done  in  San  Diego.  In 
spite  of  the  fact  that  entire  credence  was  not  given  to  these  rumors,  the 
soldiers  were  on  the  alert  both  at  the  Mission  and  in  the  presidio. 

A  few  days  later  a  converted  Indian  came  in  greatly  terrified  and 
with  a  great  outcry,  to  tell  the  corporal  that  he  had  seen  the  Zanjones ^ 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  315 

who  were  coming  up  the  canyon,  and  that  he  had  noted  how  they  were  all 
armed,  that  there  was  a  great  crowd  of  them,  undoubtedly  with  the 
intention  of  fighting.  As  soon  as  the  corporal  received  the  word,  with- 
out stopping  to  question  the  news,  he  sent  word  to  the  Commander  of 
the  presidio,  who  immediately  came  up  on  horseback  with  a  detach- 
ment of  soldiers  in  order  to  lend  aid  to  the  Mission.  At  the  same  time 
the  Venerable  Father  Junipero  informed  us  of  the  news,  speaking  to  his 
own  companion  and  the  other  four  of  us  who  were  assigned  to  the  two 
other  Missions.  But  he  seemed  to  be  so  full  of  joy  at  the  thought  that 
perhaps  that  night  his  life  would  be  taken,  that  he  could  not  help  express- 
ing his  feeling  in  his  conversation.  He  said:  ''Now  then,  Fathers,  my 
companions,  the  hour  has  come.  The  Zanjones  are  out  there,  they  say, 
and  there  is  nothing  more  to  do  than  to  prepare  ourselves  for  what  God 
may  have  disposed."  Some  of  us  accordingly  went  into  the  church 
and  made  our  Confessions  one  to  another. 

When  we  came  out  of  the  church  we  found  the  Commander,  with  the 
soldiers  of  the  garrison,  whom  he  was  stationing  for  the  night-watch,  as 
it  was  already  evening,  and  he  recognized  the  danger  there  was  in  the 
fact  that  the  six  friars  who  were  there  were  occupying  different  little 
houses  made  of  wood  and  roofed  with  thatch,  quite  apart  one  from  the 
other,  and  all  such  as  would  be  as  easily  ignited  as  if  they  were  tinder. 
He  proposed  to  the  Reverend  Father  President  that  it  would  be  advisable 
if  we  all  slept  together,  in  order  that  we  might  defend  one  another  in  the 
same  room.  If  we  would  occupy  a  little  house  made  of  adobes  and 
with  a  flat  roof  which  had  been  constructed  for  the  use  of  the  black- 
smith, we  would  there  be  well  protected  against  arrows  as  well  as  from 
fire.  A  single  soldier  also  could  guard  us  thoroughly.  Then  he  could 
dispose  of  the  balance  of  the  troop  in  the  defense  of  the  rest  of  the 
Mission.  He  agreed  to  this  and  we  all  went  into  the  little  room,  but  the 
good  Father  did  not  let  us  sleep  all  the  night,  on  account  of  the  great  joy 
in  his  heart  which  led  him  to  keep  talking,  relating  to  us  many  incidents 
to  encourage  us.  The  next  morning  there  was  no  sign  of  the  Zanjones, 
and  we  concluded  either  that  they  had  been  driven  away  by  the  heavy 
rainstorm  which  fell  during  the  night,  or  it  was  simply  a  case  of  extreme 
fright  on  the  part  of  the  converted  Indian,  as  these  latter  have  the  great- 
est fear  of  the  warlike  tribe  we  have  mentioned.  The  fright  was  a  real 
one  to  us  all  with  the  exception  of  the  Servant  of  God,  who  was  rather 
filled  with  joy. 


3i6  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

If  we  will  reflect  a  little  on  this  case,  on  others  which  have  been  re- 
lated, and  on  the  great  number  of  others  which  I  might  relate,  and  if  we 
compare  the  opinion  of  the  pious  author  of  the  Antiquities  quoted  by  our 
Chronicler  Gonzdlez  (6  part,  in  the  Life  of  San  Diego,  Cap.  7)  where  he 
says:  "He  who  has  once  for  all  consecrated  his  heart  to  the  firm  pur- 
pose that  he  will  endure,  for  the  glory  of  God,  all  the  injuries  and 
cruelties  of  tyrants,  is  already  a  martyr;  for  if  forttine  does  not  permit 
him  to  have  carried  out  in  his  person  the  suffering  of  the  torttire,  it  is  not 
to  be  denied  him  that  he  has  had  the  suffering  of  the  soul,  in  as  many 
ways  as  his  imagination  may  have  pictured  to  him  that  death  might 
overtake  him  and  to  which  in  will  and  wish  he  had  yielded  himself," 
we  may  conclude  with  all  piety  that  if  this  man  was  not  a  martyr  in  that 
he  did  not  fall  under  the  violence  of  the  sword,  his  ready  and  firm  will 
to  suffer  obtained  for  him  that  honor,  in  accord  with  the  teaching  of  the 
celebrated  Antoine  (de  Actibus  Hum,  Cap.  3,  art.  7).  Indeed  this  is 
what  the  Church,  our  Mother,  sings  concerning  Saint  Pasqual  Baylon: 
Martyr  em  non  dat  gladius^  sed  ipsum  prompta  voluntas — "The  words 
did  not  make  him  a  martyr,  but  his  ready  will." 

Hope 

We  have  already  seen  the  firmness  of  the  Faith  of  our  Father  Junf- 
pero  and  from  it  we  can  well  infer  what  must  have  been  the  heroism  of 
his  Hope,  which,  in  the  opinion  of  San  Buenaventura  (tit.  5,  diet,  salut. 
Cap.  4),  "is  a  strong  column  which  rests  upon  the  pedestal  of  Faith  and 
sustains  the  principal  part  of  the  superstructure  of  the  spiritual  edifice;" 
or,  as  others  say,  it  is  the  flower  which  springs  forth  from  Faith,  like  a 
ray  of  light.  We  may  infer,  from  what  Saints  Gregory  and  Bernard 
say,  that  the  more  one  believes,  the  greater  is  his  hope:  ''Quantum 
quisque  credit,  tantum  speratJ^  (Bernard  de  Dom.  in  Pas.)  Quoting 
Guillelgo  Alticiodorense,  we  may  say  that  Hope  is  a  boldness  of  the  sotil, 
conceived  in  the  goodness  of  God,  which  reaches  out  after  the  good  works 
of  eternal  life,  extends  the  view  and  contemplates  as  already  gained  the 
forgiveness  of  sins  and  the  reward  of  the  good  deeds  in  the  life  to  come, 
grace,  the  resurrection  of  our  bodies,  the  assistance  and  care  of  the 
Divine  Providence  to  care  for  and  favor  us  in  times  of  difficulty  and 
danger  which  might  hinder  the  realization  of  our  desires,  and  finally,  lays 
hold  of  all  that  is  difficult  and  arduous,  if  only  thereby  our  good  and 
the  glory  of  God  is  attained. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  317 

This  most  noble  virtue,  which  oiir  Servant  of  God  received  with 
holy  Baptism,  from  the  day  of  his  birth  went  on  increasing  with  age. 
As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  reason,  with  the  instruction  of  his  devout 
parents,  he  grew  in  the  exercise  of  this  virtue,  as  he  also  did  in  the  exer- 
cise of  Faith  and  Charity.  His  pious  parents  tried  to  have  it  that  the 
first  fruits  of  the  acts  of  their  son  should  be  his  consecration  to  God  as 
the  Divine  Author  of  his  being,  and  so  taught  him  daily  to  exercise  him- 
self in  such  fervent  acts  which  he  did  from  childhood.  As  he  increased 
in  age  and  knowledge,  he  tried  to  exercise  himself  with  even  greater 
fervor,  as  has  been  seen  in  this  long  story  of  his  exemplary  life.  As  his 
conception  of  the  Mysteries  of  our  Holy  Faith  and  of  the  Divine  Attri- 
butes were  so  very  lofty,  he  had  his  confidence  always  set  on  them,  with 
the  certain  assurance  that  he  would  always  obtain  from  the  Lord  what 
would  be  of  the  greatest  pleasure  to  him  and  for  the  greatest  glory  of 
God.  So  that  he  always  went  to  the  Lord  with  every  matter,  both 
those  which  were  hard  to  bear,  as  we  have  seen  in  his  Life,  as  well  as 
those  which  were  trivial,  for  in  all  these  things  God  was  his  only  refuge, 
and  usually  he  quickly  obtained  the  happy  solution  of  all  his  requests. 
If  on  account  of  his  Humility  he  was  doubtful  as  to  the  success  of  his 
plans,  he  would  invoke  the  Saints  to  whom  he  was  especially  devoted, 
as  was  seen  by  his  seeking  the  patronage  of  Saint  Joseph  —  San  Jos6  — 
as  has  been  indicated  so  many  times.  He  was  also  devoted  to  San  Ber- 
nardino de  Siena,  through  whose  patronage  he  secured  for  a  converted 
Indian  of  his  Mission  of  San  Carlos  that  he  should  be  delivered  from  the 
jaws  of  death  when  those  who  were  gathered  about  him  cbnsidered  him 
dead,  crushed  under  a  great  pine  tree  which  had  fallen  upon  him.  Our 
holy  Father,  to  show  his  gratitude,  had  a  painting  made  and  hung  in  the 
church  in  order  to  quicken  the  devotion  of  all  converts  to  this  saint. 

I  might  relate  many  other  incidents,  but  will  omit  them  to  avoid 
prolixity,  as  enough  has  been  said  to  prove  that  he  had  great  hope  in 
God,  and  as  is  shown  by  what  was  said  concerning  his  malady  in  his 
chest  and  the  sore  and  swelling  in  his  foot  and  leg.  Here  is  in  place  a 
quotation  from  Saint  Augustine  (Conf.  lib.  10,  cap.  43,  tom.  i):  Merito 
mihi  spes  valida  in  illo  est,  quod  sanahis  omnes  languores  meos,  per  eum 
qui  sedet  ad  dexter  am  tuam,  et  te  inter  pellat  pro  nobis:  alioquin  desperarem. 
Multi  etiam,  et  magni  sunt  languores  mei,  sed  amplior  est  medicina  tua — 
"Deservedly  strong  Hope  with  me  rests  in  this  that  Thou  curest  all  my 
maladies  through  Him  who  sits  at  Thy  Right  and  intercedes  with  Thee 


3i8  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

for  us;  otherwise  I  should  despair.  Numerous  also  and  great  are  my 
maladies,  but  stronger  is  Thy  remedy."  And  finally,  if  we  have  in  mind 
and  meditate  on  what  San  Buenaventura  says  (in  3  Sent.  dist.  26,  q.  4), 
that  "all  the  acts  committed  in  the  fulfilling  of  the  other  virtues  are 
also  acts  of  the  exercise  of  Hope,"  we  may  say  that  the  whole  life  of  this 
man  was  a  continuous  exercise  of  this  most  noble  virtue.  The  same  thing 
is  said  by  the  Auditors  of  the  Rota  in  the  cause  of  Saint  Francis  Xavier 
(tit.  de  Spe),  that  "nothing  awakens  more  efficaciously  Hope  in  any  one 
than  the  exercise  of  good  deeds  and  virtuous  actions":  Spei  argumen- 
tum  nullum  validius,  quam  quod  exercitio  ducitur  bonorum  operum  et 
actionibus  virtutum.  Pope  Benedict  confirms  us  in  the  same  opinion  in 
the  statement  he  makes  (lib.  3,  de  Can.  SS.  cap.  23,  par.  2,  num.  16): 
Omnia  opera  bona  spem  arguunt,  et  omnia  bona  eximia  et  sublimia,  spem 
demonstrant  eximiam,  sublimen,  et  heroicam — ''All  good  works  argue 
Hope  and  all  good,  excellent  and  sublime  works  demonstrate  excellent, 
sublime  and  heroic  Hope." 

Charity  and  Religion 

The  greatest  of  the  virtues  St.  Paul  calls  the  third  one  of  the  theologi- 
cal virtues,  which  is  Charity:  maior  autem  horum  est  charitas.  (I  Cor. 
Xni.)  If,  in  the  opinion  of  Saint  Gregory  (in  Ezequ.  hom.  22),  "what- 
ever one  believes  in  and  hopes  for,  he  loves,"  after  having  seen  the  firm- 
ness of  the  faith  of  this  Servant  of  God  and  the  assurance  and  confidence 
of  his  Hope,  we  may  surely  say  the  same  concerning  the  ardency  of  his 
Love.  Concerning  this  virtue,  as  Saint  Gregory  remarks,  we  may  well 
call  it  what  the  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles  terms  it,  the  bond  of  perfection, 
for  if  it  is  true  that  the  other  virtues  engender  perfection,  it  is  Charity 
which  binds  them  together  so  that  they  are  not  able  to  separate  them- 
selves from  the  soul  of  the  one  who  loves:  Charitatem  recte  PrcBdicator 
egregius  vinculum  perfectionis  vocat,  quia  virtutes  quidem  ccBtercs  perfec- 
tionem  generant,  sed  tamen  eas  charitas  ita  ligat,  ut  ab  amantis  mente, 
dissolvijam  nequeant.     (Greg,  regist.  lib.  4,  ind.  13,  cap.  95.) 

We  have  seen  how  the  other  two  theological  virtues  are  the  column 
and  the  pedestal  of  the  principal  and  the  most  holy  part  of  the  Temple. 
Speaking  of  Charity,  the  celebrated  disciple  of  Saint  John  Chrysostom, 
Saint  Proclus,  Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  in  the  Epistle  which  he  wrote 
concerning  the  Faith  to  the  Armenians  (tom.  6  op.  SS.  PP.),  says  to 
them:     "Charity  is  the  culmination  of  all  that  is  most  holy  and  perfect 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  319 

in  our  Catholic  Religion":  Charitas  sanctm  Religionis  nostroB  cultnen 
est.  So  that  we  may  hold  that  this  virtue  of  Charity  is  the  end  and 
union  which  unites  and  crowns  the  perfect  state  of  the  soul. 

The  signs  for  recognizing  the  heroism  of  this  most  noble  virtue  are 
indicated  by  Fortunatus  Schacco  (de  not.  et  sig.  Sanct.  sec.  3,  cap  3, 
quoted  from  Pope  Benedict  XIV).  The  first  is  zeal  for  the  worship  of 
God,  in  order  that  God  may  be  loved  and  honored  by  all.  Enough  has 
been  said  in  this  narrative  of  the  Life  of  this  Servant  of  God  to  show  the 
zeal  he  had  for  Divine  Worship,  be  it  in  the  sumptuous  church  which  he 
constructed  in  his  Mission  of  Santiago  de  Jalpan  in  the  Sierra  Gorda, 
or  in  the  furniture  which  he  solicited  for  it  and  for  the  vestry.  All  was 
for  the  purpose  of  Divine  Worship.  He  followed  the  same  custom  in 
the  Missions  which  he  founded  in  both  Califomias,  charging  all  the 
Missionaries  that  whenever  they  sent  in  statements  to  Mexico  City, 
they  should  never  fail  to  ask  for  something  either  for  the  church  or  for 
the  vestry.  On  one  occasion  when  I  was  present  he  was  reading  a  state- 
ment of  what  was  being  asked  for,  for  one  of  the  Missions,  and  when  he  fin- 
ished reading  it  he  said  to  the  Fathers  who  had  made  it  out :  ''I  am  not 
satisfied  with  this  statement  because  I  do  not  find  in  it  any  request  for 
furnishings  to  adorn  the  church."  The  Fathers  then  amended  the 
document  by  adding  to  the  list  several  items  of  things  needed  for  Divine 
Worship. 

This  zeal,  which  we  may  also  call  an  act  of  the  virtue  of  Wisdom,  has 
been  largely  set  forth  in  this  story  of  his  Life,  Chapter  VII,  beginning 
with  page  27,  where  is  set  forth  the  rules  for  spiritual  guidance  observed 
in  the  Sierra  Gorda,  which  were  the  same  as  those  he  tried  to  put  in 
force  in  the  Missions  of  New  California  and  Monterey,  both  as  regards 
the  construction  of  churches,  according  to  the  capacity  of  each,  as  well 
as  in  the  furnishings  for  them.  He  always  expressed  his  great  pleasure 
when  in  his  visits  to  any  of  these  Missions  he  found  any  signs  of  progress 
in  this  respect,  and  he  would  immediately  try  to  communicate  the  news 
to  the  Fathers  of  the  other  Missions  in  order  to  stimulate  them  to  do  the 
same. 

It  has  also  been  related  in  the  above  cited  chapter  what  his  custom 
was  as  to  the  sermons  which  he  preached  on  solemn  occasions,  when  the 
Mysteries  and  the  Feast  Days  of  the  Lord  were  celebrated,  or  those  of 
the  Holy  Virgin  and  of  the  Saints,  how,  in  his  preaching,  he  tried  to 
instruct  the  converts  in  the  Worship  and  the  Love  of  God,  it  being  his  one 


320  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

great  desire  that  this  knowledge  should  be  extended  to  every  one.  This 
was  well  set  forth  at  the  time  of  the  founding  of  the  San  Antonio  Mis- 
sion when,  inflamed  by  these  desires  almost  to  the  point  of  ecstasy,  he 
rang  the  bell  and  cried  out,  calling  upon  all  to  come  to  Divine  Worship 
and  to  the  Love  of  God,  expressing  the  wish  that  those  bells  might  be 
heard  all  over  the  world,  thus  giving  a  proof  of  the  ardent  love  of  God 
which  burned  in  his  own  heart.  For  he  not  only  loved  God,  but  wished 
that  all  the  world  might  know  and  love  him. 

Another  sign  of  the  strength  of  Charity  and  Love  to  God  which  the 
above  quoted  author  cites  us  is  that  it  may  be  recognized  by  the  inner 
joy  which  shows  itself  in  outward  expression  when  either  God  or  the 
Saints  are  being  spoken  of.  It  could  easily  be  seen  from  his  sermons  and 
homilies  that  his  heart  seemed  to  overflow  with  joy  and  happiness. 
When  the  word  came  that  Our  Most  Holy  Father,  Pope  Clement  XIII, 
had  decreed  that  on  every  Sunday  of  the  year  in  which  there  was  no 
special  Preface,  there  should  be  sung  or  recited  the  Preface  of  the  Most 
Holy  Trinity,  so  great  was  his  joy  that  his  heart  could  not  hold  it  all,  and 
with  great  tenderness  he  said:  "Blessed  be  God,  and  may  He  long  pre- 
serve the  life  of  Our  Most  Holy  Father,  who  has  decreed  the  recital  of 
this  most  devout  Preface!  Oh,  what  a  splendid  occasion  for  Our 
Seraphic  Order  to  ask  of  this  Most  Holy  Father,  who  seems  to  be  very 
especially  devoted  to  the  Mystery  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  that  he  grant  to 
us  the  Recital  of  this  Sovereign  Mystery  with  the  rite  of  a  double  of  the 
first  class,  so  that  we  might  be  able  to  imitate  Our  Seraphic  Father,  San 
Francisco,  of  whom  we  say:  Trinitatis  officium,  Jesto  solemni  celebrat. 
— 'The  office  of  the  Trinity  he  celebrated  most  solemnly.'  " 

He  always  manifested  the  same  joy  in  the  Services  in  Honor  of  th^ 
Virgin  and  in  the  Feasts  of  the  Mysteries,  and  when  he  saw  his  con-    | 
verted  children,  who,  with  a  special  devotion,  came  together  to  sing  the    \ 
most  holy  Rosary  of  Mary  Most  Holy  and  the  Antiphone,  Tota  Pulchra,     \ 
he  would  shed  tears  of  tenderness  and  devotion.     The  same  thing  would 
happen  whenever  he  celebrated  the  services  of  the  Passion  and  the  Divine 
Mysteries  of  Holy  Week. 

It  happened  not  a  few  times  that  he  could  not  sing  in  choir  the 
Angelical  song  of  the  Gloria  on  Holy  Saturday,  for  his  tears.  His  tears 
were  always  abundant  during  the  Stations  of  the  Via  Crucis,  of  which 
exercise  he  was  extremely  fond,  and  he  instituted  it  in  all  the  Missions, 
both  of  the  Sierra  Gorda  and  of  Old  and  New  California.  In  the  opinion 
of  the  Auditors  of  the  Rota  in  the  cause  of  St.  Andrew  Avelino  (Tit  de 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  321 

Charit.)  this  love  for  the  Passion  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  a  clear  and 
evident  sign  of  perfect  Charity  and  of  the  heroism  of  this  virtue:  Hanc 
eximiam  charitatem  Andrecs  erga  Deum  prohari  censutmus,  ex  maximo 
affectu  ipsius,  erga  passionem  Domini  Nostri  Jesu  Christi. 

The  above  cited  author  set  forth  several  other  signs,  but  I  omit 
them,  as  they  have  already  been  commented  upon  in  the  story  of  this 
Life,  principally  our  Venerable  Father's  Charity  toward  his  fellow-man, 
of  which  quite  sufficient  has  been  said.  And  as,  in  the  opinion  of  St. 
Gregory,  Charity  toward  our  neighbor  nourishes  and  increases  charity 
and  love  to  God,  per  amorem  proximi,  amor  Dei  nufritur  (Greg,  in 
Moral.),  and  as  we  have  seen  the  great  Charity  which  this  Servant  of 
God  had  for  his  fellow-beings  we  can  well  imagine  how  great  must  have 
been  the  Love  for  God  which  he  cherished  in  his  heart,  and  which  pro- 
duced such  wonderful  effects  in  his  soul. 

These  fervent  acts  of  Love  to  God  and  to  his  fellow-man,  together 
with  all  the  other  virtues  of  which  I  have  spoken,  and  which  I  have 
wished  to  set  forth  concerning  him  who  was  my  beloved  Master,  were 
acts  which  I  can  say  continued  until  his  death,  as  may  be  seen  in  Chap- 
ter LVIII,  where  is  set  forth  most  clearly  and  indisputably  that  he  was 
possessed  of  a  Charity  and  a  Love  of  God  and  his  fellow-men  which 
was  holy  and  sincere.  In  the  opinion  of  his  favorite  saint,  San  Ber- 
nardino de  Siena,  speaking  of  true  and  unalloyed  Charity,  writes  the 
following  (tom.  2,  Fer.  4,  post.  Ciner.  Serm.  5,  cap.  3,  pag.  39,  col. 
mihi  2):  "Charitas  ficta,  sex  fornaces  patiturj  sed  in  septima  alchymice 
falsitas  patet.  Primus  namque  fornaceus  ignis  fit  in  cordcy  secundus  fit  in 
ore  J  tertius  in  opera,  quartus  in  imicorum  dilectione,  quinto  in  eorum  sub- 
ventione,  sexto  in  recta  intentione,  ut  scilicet  propter  Deum  hie  omnia 
fiantj  septimo  in  perseveranti  continuations.  Hie  sanctus  probatur  amor, 
quoniam  si  verus  non  est,  cito  evanescit.^^ — *' Charity  that  is  not  genuine 
withstands  the  test  of  six  furnaces,  but  in  the  seventh  the  falsehood 
of  alchemy  is  laid  bare.  The  first  fiery  test  takes  place  in  the  heart; 
the  second  in  the  mouth;  the  third  in  action;  the  fourth  in  the  love  of 
enemies;  the  fifth  in  assisting  them;  the  sixth  in  the  right  motive;  that 
all  done  here,  namely,  be  done  for  God;  the  seventh  in  an  unbroken 
continuance.  Here  holy  love  is  proved,  for  if  it  is  not  genuine,  it  will 
directly  vanish." 

All  the  other  six  signs  mentioned  by  San  Bernardino  we  find  clearly 
set  forth  in  the  story  of  his  Life,  and  the  last  and  seventh  sign  is  proven 
by  what  has  been  said  in  Chapter  LVIII.    And  if  in  the  opinion  of  St. 


322  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

John  the  Evangelist  the  works  of  each  one  shall  follow  the  soul  after  its 
separation  from  the  body,  opera  enim  illorum  sequntur  illos,  we  are  to 
piously  believe  that  all  the  good  works  which  he  did  in  the  laborious 
activities  of  his  life  must  have  accompanied  his  soul.  And  also  that 
the  innumerable  company  of  Indians  whom  he  converted  and  through 
whose  Apostolic  labors  they  obtained  everlasting  blessedness  will  go 
out  to  meet  him  in  order  to  present  him  in  the  presence  of  God  that  he 
may  receive  the  eternal  reward  in  heaven. 

So  I  piously  believe,  as  I  have  had  personal  experience  of  his  fervent 
Charity  and  Divine  Love,  that  he  must  have  possessed  those  qualities 
which  are  described  by  the  most  learned  Rabano  (in  Sermon) :  "Amor 
divinus  esi  ignis,  lux,  mel,  vinum,  sol.  Ignis  in  meditatione  purificans 
mentem  a  sordibus.  Lux  est  in  oratione  mentem  irradians  claritate  vir- 
tutem.  Mel  est  in  gratiarum  actione  mentem  dulcorans  dulcedine  divinorum 
beneficiorum.  Vinum  est  in  contemplatione  mentem  inebrians  suavi  et 
jucunda  delectatione^^ — "Divine  love  is  fire,  light,  honey,  wine,  sun. 
Fire  in  meditation  purifying  the  mind  of  what  is  sordid.  Light  in 
prayer  illuminating  the  mind  with  the  clearness  of  virtues.  Honey  in 
thanksgiving  sweetening  the  mind  with  the  sweetness  of  Divine  graces. 
Wine  in  contemplation  rejoicing  the  mind  with  sweet  and  joyful  bliss." 
All  these  qualities  were  to  be  found  in  the  laborious  life  of  this  Servant 
of  God  and  we  may  piously  say  that  he  must  have  attained  also  to  the 
last  of  them  in  the  heavenly  land :  Sol  est  in  ceterna  beatitudine  mentem 
clarificans  serenissimo  lumine  et  suavisimo  colore:  mentem  exhilarans 
ineffabili  gaudio  perenni  jubilatione — ''It  is  the  sun  in  eternal  bliss 
clarifying  the  mind  with  serenest  brightness  and  sweetest  warmth; 
exhilarating  the  mind  with  ineffable  joy  and  everlasting  jubilee."  The 
above  mentioned  Rabano  concludes  in  this  way  his  list  of  the  quahties^ 
of  true  Charity,  in  the  quotation  which  we  have  of  him  from  the  Vener- 
able Father,  Fr.  Luis  de  Granada  (in  Sylva  locorum  communium  tom. 
I,  tit.  Amor.  Dei.),  and  I  may  well  conclude  by  sai^ng  that  his  soul  will 
be  at  rest,  for  the  last  words  which  he  spoke  to  me  before  dying,  after 
finishing  the  recital  of  the  morning  Office  of  the  Church  on  the  F'east  of 
Saint  Augustine,  in  the  presence  of  several  others  who  were  standing 
about,  were:  "Let  us  now  go  to  rest,"  as  I  have  told  in  his  Life.  And  I 
can  piously  believe  that  his  resting  place  was  and  is  in  heaven.  But  as 
the  lofty  judgments  of  God  are  inscrutable  and  he  may  have  need  of  our 
help,  please  accompany  me  in  saying:  "Anima  ejus  requiescat  in  pace. 
Amen' ' — ' 'May  his  soul  rest  in  peace.    Amen. ' ' 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  323 


CONCLUSION  OF  THE  WORK 

Remarks  Addressed  to  the  Curious  Reader ,  and  the  Final  Protest. 

I  said  at  the  beginning  what  was  the  purpose  I  had  in  writing  this 
Life  and  also  how  I  wrote  it  when  far  away  among  those  barbarous  na- 
tions where  there  were  no  books  nor  any  Companion  Fathers  whom  I 
might  have  consulted,  and  how  I  had  been  led  to  yield  to  the  request  of 
those  who  had  been  devoted  and  enthusiastic  associates  of  the  Venerable 
Father,  who  had  known  and  loved  him,  and  who  made  it  possible  that 
this  Life  and  History  should  be  published.  I  asked  several  learned 
persons  who  had  known  this  Servant  of  God  to  read  the  work  and  they 
were  all  of  the  opinion  that  it  should  be  printed  and  that  its  perusal 
would  be  not  only  edifying  but  that  it  might  move  many  to  enroll  them- 
selves as  laborers  in  the  Vineyard  which  this  exemplary  Missionary  had 
planted.  And  when  they  told  me  that  they  missed  a  little  treatise  on 
his  virtues  I  resolved  to  add  it  to  the  work,  being  encouraged  by  the 
fact  that  in  this  city  books  are  not  lacking  nor  learned  persons  with 
whom  I  may  consult  concerning  the  difficulties  which  have  presented 
themselves  to  me.  Although  these  things  have  not  been  lacking,  I  have 
been  hindered  by  the  lack  of  time  and  leisure  which  was  needed  as 
Obedience  has  laid  upon  me  the  heavy  burden  of  the  Guardianship  of 
this  College. 

This  consideration  will  serve  me  as  an  excuse  for  any  lack  which 
curious  readers  may  note  in  this  last  chapter,  principally  the  brevity 
with  which  I  treat  a  subject  of  so  great  importance.  I  also  presume 
that  they  will  have  noticed  the  omission  of  any  reference  to  the  gift  of 
Contemplation  in  this  Servant  of  God,  as  well  as  Revelations,  Proph- 
ecies, Miracles,  and  all  that  collection  of  gratuitous  graces  which  cause 
wonder  and  surprise  in  the  holy  life  of  any  Servant  of  God.  But  I  have 
had  it  in  mind  that  all  these  graces,  although  they  are  remarkable  and 
greatly  to  be  esteemed,  do  not  constitute  the  essential  character  of 
holiness  which  is  the  bond  of  sanctifying  grace. 

Not  the  gift  of  Contemplation,  for,  as  Saint  Gregory  notes  (lib. 
2,  hom.  5,  in  Ezeq.  num.  19,  col.  1361,  op.  torn,  i),  this  gift  is  often 


324  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

granted  both  to  those  who  are  perfect  and  to  those  who  are  not  and  often 
to  those  who  are  beginning  and  imperfect.  "Non  enim  contemplationis 
gratia  summis  datur,  et  minimis  non  datur,  sed  scBpe  hanc  summi,  scBpe 
minimi,  sospius  remoti  . . .  percipiunV^ — ''The  grace  of  Contemplation  is 
not  given  to  the  highest  and  denied  to  the  lowest,  but  often  the  highest, 
often  the  lowest,  often  the  remote  perceive  it."  And  many  times  it 
happens  that  this  gift  is  not  given  to  the  Saint,  as  concerning  those  al- 
ready canonized  our  most  eminent  Laurea  notes  (de  Orat.  opusc.  7, 
cap.  2).  Undoubtedly  for  this  reason  no  inquiry  concerning  this  is 
made  in  the  Causes  of  Canonization  but  it  is  a  kind  of  habit  acquired  by 
the  acts  of  contemplation  and  prayer,  as  is  taught  by  Pope  Benedict  XIV 
(lib.  3,  de  Beat,  et  Can.  SS.  cap.  26,  pag.  186).  As  this,  according  to  the 
rules  of  Mystics,  may  be  an  act  composed  of  vivid  Faith  and  fervent 
Charity,  these  two  virtues  having  been  amply  set  forth  as  being  pos- 
sessed by  this  Servant  of  God,  we  ought  to  say  that  he  was  not  lacking 
in  this  gift  of  Contemplation. 

Neither  is  essential  holiness  to  be  considered  as  made  up  of  Revela- 
tions, Prophecies,  Miracles,  Gifts  of  Speech,  etc.,  but  as  these  gifts 
differing  in  the  one  who  may  be  sanctified,  as  our  irrefutable  Doctor 
Alexander  of  Hales  teaches  us  (in  2.  part,  quaest  73),  they  are  given  for 
the  benefit  of  others  and  may  be  found  together  in  the  same  person, 
together  with  mortal  sin,  as  the  eminent  Suarez  (tom.  i,  de  Grat.  prol. 
3,  cap.  4,  nimi.  10)  and  also  the  learned  Viguer  (in  Inst.  Theol.  tit.  de 
Grat.  Div.  cap.  9,  §  i)  say,  using  these  words:  ^^ Gratia  gratis  data 
difert  a  gratia  gratum  faciente,  prima  quia  haec  potest  stare  cum  peccato 
mortali,  et  sine  charitate,  etcJ^ — ''Grace  gratuitously  given  differs  from 
grace  which  makes  holy  first  because  it  can  exist  along  with  mortal  sin  am 
without  charity,  etc.,"  and  besides  as  they  are  not  necessary  for  the  attain- 
ing unto  eternal  bliss,  their  lack  does  not  argue  imperfection,  as  the 
Salmaticenses  teach  (tom.  3,  Curs.  Theol.  in  Arb.  praed.  §  17,  num. 
164):  ^^Sed  quia  ad  beatitudinem  consequendam  necessaries  non  sunt, 
idcirco  neque  illarum  defectus  defectum  sanctitatis  ostendit.^' — "But  as  they 
are  not  necessary  to  obtain  eternal  bliss,  therefore  neither  does  their 
lack  prove  any  defect  in  holiness."  For  this  reason  our  Matheuccius, 
who  was  Promoter  of  the  Faith,  insisted  that  the  ones  who  proposed  the 
cause  of  Saint  Vincent  de  Paul  should  propose  some  of  these  graces,  but 
these  with  great  perspicacity  replied,  as  this  same  Matheuccius  says, 
in  his  Practical  Theology  (Canon,  ad  Caus.  Beatif.  et  Canon,  tit.  6, 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  325 

cap.  6,  num.  20),  that  although  they  were  lacking  in  the  life  of  the  Saint, 
they  were  not  necessary  for  his  Canonization. 

Those  who  knew  and  had  dealings  with  our  Venerable  Father  may 
complain  that  I  have  omitted  from  his  Life  many  exemplary  deeds.  In 
order  to  close  the  door  against  all  excuse  they  may  perhaps  adduce  the 
statement  of  Casiodorus  (in  Comp.  Rhet.):  ^'Satius  est  narratione 
aliquid  superesse  quam  decesse:  nam  superflua  cum  tedio  dicuntur;  neces- 
saria  cum  periculo  substrahuntur.'^ —  It  is  better  that  in  a  narrative 
something  may  be  superfluous  than  wanting,  for  what  is  superfluous  is 
related  with  tediousness;  but  what  is  necessary  is  omitted  with  danger.'* 
But  to  this  I  ought  to  reply  that  that  has  happened  to  me  which  happens 
to  the  pearl-fishers  when  they  are  on  the  pearl-fishing  banks,  where  the 
abundant  supply  obliges  them  to  allow  a  great  many  to  escape  through 
their  fingers.  The  virtues  of  the  Servant  of  God  are  shy  about  coming 
to  public  notice  until  the  slow  passage  of  time  removes  from  view  the 
idea  of  certain  material  impressions  which  obscured  their  brilliant 
lustre;  and  the  affection  which  I  had  for  him  as  my  Revered  Teacher  has 
kept  me  back  from  saying  many  things  had  I  not  feared  would  be  at- 
tributed to  an  inordinate  passion,  although  this  might  have  been  over- 
looked in  view  of  the  saying  Parentibus  et  Magistris  nunquam  satis. 
For  parents  and  teachers  never  enough  can  be  said  as  the  philosophers 
say.  This  maxim  seems  applicable  to  San  Juan  Capistrano,  who  so 
earnestly  solicited  honors  for  his  beloved  teacher  San  Bernardino  de 
Siena,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  letter  which  he  wrote  to  the  noble  citizens 
of  Aquila,  the  native  land  of  his  holy  teacher. 

I  confess  with  all  ingenuousness  that  I  am  not  lacking  in  this  affec- 
tion and  that  it  has  been  difficult  to  moderate  it  as  I  should,  but  this 
filial  affection  has  not  made  me  exaggerate  any  of  the  things  which  I 
myself  saw,  much  less  believe  the  many  particular  incidents  which  I 
have  omitted  because  I  was  not  able  fully  to  investigate  them.  Waiting 
for  Time  to  further  enlighten  us  as  to  what  I  have  written,  I  have  written 
with  much  reserve,  as  you  who  have  read  will  have  noted.  And  if  per- 
haps in  this  I  have  erred  I  subject  it  all  to  the  Holy  Mother,  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  protesting  as  a  son  of  so  Holy  a  Mother,  in  which  I 
find  my  greatest  happiness,  and  in  obedience  to  the  decrees  of  Our  Most 
Holy  Father  Urban  VIII  (of  blessed  memory)  to  the  Holy  Congregation 
of  Rites  and  General  Inquisition  and  other  Apostolic  Rescripts  which 
prescribe  the  mode  of  writing  the  Lives  of  the  Servants  of  God  who  have 


326  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

not  been  Canonized.  It  is  not  my  intention  that  more  credence  should 
be  given  to  what  I  have  told  than  that  which  a  purely  human  belief 
may  deserve  and  which  therefore  may  be  very  fallible;  and  concerning 
those  epithets  of  Venerable  and  Martyr,  etc.,  which  are  found  in  the 
work,  it  is  not  my  intention  that  they  should  be  improperly  applied  to 
the  persons  spoken  of,  characterizing  them  as  Saints  and  Blessed,  but  I 
simply  refer  to  their  virtuous  actions. 

Wilt  thou  not  in  the  meantime,  beloved  reader,  pray  for  me,  and  if 
thou  findest  any  error,  attribute  it  not  to  malice,  but  rather  excuse  my 
weakness  which  I  am  willing  to  correct.  And  that  thou  mayest  attain 
unto  the  eternal  happiness,  I  beg  thee,  as  Saint  Pauline  begged  Licencius, 
son  of  Romaniano  and  disciple  of  Saint  Augustine: 

Vive  prcBcor,  sed  vive  Deo,  nam  vivere  mundo 
Mortis  opus,  viva  est  vivere  vita  Deo. 

Cui  soli  honor y  et  gloria  in  scBcula  scBCulorum.     Amen. 

Live,  I  beseech  thee,  but  live  for  God;  for  to  live  for  the  world 

Is  death;  the  true  life  is  to  live  for  God. 

To  whom  alone  be  honor  and  glory  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  327 


EXTRACTS  TAKEN   FROM  A   LETTER 

Which  the  Rev.  Father  Fray  Alonso  de  Benavides,  Gustos  of  New  Mex- 
ico, sent  to  the  Friars  of  the  Holy  Custody  of  the  Conversion  of  Saint 
Paul  of  the  said  region,  from  Madrid,  in  the  year  1631,  and  to  which 
reference  is  made  in  the  second  chapter  of  this  History. 

Dearly  beloved  and  most  highly  esteemed  Fathers  Gustos  and  other  Friars  of 
the  Order  of  Our  Seraphic  Father  Saint  Francis,  of  the  Custody  of  Saint  Paul  of  the 
region  and  Province  of  New  Mexico: 

I  give  infinite  thanks  to  the  Divine  Majesty  for  having  put  me  (though  so 
unworthy)  in  the  number  of  the  happy  lot  of  your  Reverences,  as  you  deserve  to  be 
so  highly  favored  of  Heaven  that  the  Angels  and  our  Father,  Saint  Francis,  assist 
you  and  in  person  and  really  and  truly,  carry  from  the  yijlage  of  Agreda  (which  is  on 
the  boundary  of  Castile)  the  blessed  and  happy  Mother,  Maria  de  Jesus,  of  the 
Order  of  the  Conception,  Descalced  Franciscan  Nun,  that  she  may  help  you  with  her 
presence  and  preaching  in  all  those  Provinces  and  among  those  barbarous  nations. 
Your  Reverences  will  remember  well  that  in  the  year  1628,  when  I  was  your  Prelate 
and  Servant,  I  determined,  perhaps  (but  it  was  more  probably  a  peculiar  disposition 
of  Heaven),  to  go  on  to  New  Spain  in  order  to  give  a  report  to  the  Viceroy  and  to  the 
Reverend  Prelates  concerning  the  more  notable  things  which  had  taken  place  in 
Our  Holy  Custody;  and  having  carried  out  this  plan,  after  reaching  Mexico  City,  it 
seemed  wise  to  the  Viceroy  and  the  Reverend  Prelates  that  I  should  go  on  to  Spain 
to  give  an  account  of  the  skme  to  His  Majesty  as  the  fountain  head  of  all  and  to  our 
Father  General.  These  men,  so  Catholic  and  so  zealous  for  the  Salvation  of  Souls, 
showed  me  a  thousand  favors  in  return  for  the  information  I  gave  them  concerning 
the  increase  of  our  Holy  Faith  as  well  as  concerning  the  Apostolic  zeal  with  which 
your  Reverences  labor,  mentioning  also  the  temporal  increase  which  our  Divine 
Majesty  has  revealed,  in  payment  and  reward  for  the  zeal  with  which  our  Lord  the 
King  has  favored  us  and  helped  us.  I  send  herewith  to  your  Reverences  a  printed 
statement  which  I  presented  to  His  Majesty  and  to  the  Royal  Council  of  the  Indies, 
and  it  was  so  well  received  in  Spain  that  I  intend  to  prepare  a  reprint  for  the  satis- 
faction of  the  many  who  have  asked  for  it.  Do  not  censure  me  for  being  too  laconic, 
though  I  recognize  that  the  statement  is  very  brief,  when  it  is  considered  all  that  is 
omitted  and  also  what  your  Reverences  deserve  to  have  published,  but  I  made  it 
brief,  even  at  the  risk  of  omitting  much,  in  order  to  gain  the  hearing  of  His  Majesty; 
but  he  not  only  read  it  but  had  it  all  read  to  the  Council,  and  it  was  so  well  received 
that  they  have  not  only  read  it  many  times,  but  they  know  it  by  heart,  and  for  a 
second  time  they  have  asked  me  for  copies.  In  satisfying  these  demands,  I  have 
distributed  four  hundred  books,  and  Our  Most  Reverend  Father  General  has  sent 
them  to  Rome  to  His  Holiness,  adding  other  statements  not  found  in  the  printed 


328  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

statement.     On  the  occasions  in  which  I  have  spoken  to  His  Majesty  and  to  the  Royal 

Council  of  the  Indies,  where  these  matters  are  dispatched,  I  have  personally  related 
and  read  from  manuscript  reports,  all  that  has  happened  over  there,  and  as  here  so 
very  little  is  known  of  New  Mexico,  it  is  almost  as  if  God  had  made  it  part  of  another 
world,  and  for  that  reason  the  work  was  not  appreciated  nor  was  it  known  with  what 
Apostolic  zeal  your  Reverences  had  labored  in  that  Vineyard  of  the  Lord.  I  trust 
that  by  the  grace  of  His  Divine  Majesty,  I  may  return  and  be  among  you  in  order 
that  I  may  have  the  joy  of  being  in  your  company,  though  I  confess  I  do  not  deserve 
it,  and  to  bring  to  you,  and  to  all  that  land,  the  very  great  favors  which  His  Holiness 
and  which  our  Lord  the  King  have  granted  for  the  comfort  of  all  and  for  the  increase 
of  the  Divine  Name.  When  I  arrived  in  Spain,  which  was  on  the  first  of  August,  of 
the  year  1630,  as  soon  as  the  Most  Reverend  Father-General,  Fray  Bernadino  de 
Siena  (now  Bishop  of  Viseo)  who  is  the  head  of  the  Order  until  the  next  General 
Chapter,  knew  of  my  Narrative  concerning  the  Holy  Religious,  who  were  there 
going  about  preaching  the  Holy  Catholic  Faith,  in  the  manner  in  which  your  Rever- 
ences know,  his  very  Reverence  immediately  said  to  me,  that  when  he  was  Com- 
missioner of  Spain,  before  being  Father-General,  more  than  eight  years  previously, 
he  had  had  notice  concerning  the  Mother  Maria  de  Jesus,  Abbess  of  her  Convent  of 
the  Village  of  Agreda  (on  the  borders  of  Aragon  and  Castile),  how  she  had  apparitions 
and  revelations  concerning  the  conversion  of  New  Mexico;  and  now,  with  the  account 
which  I  had  given  him  and  also  the  report  which  he  had  received  from  the  Archbishop  of 
Mexico,  Francisco  Manso,  concerning  the  same  thing,  his  Reverence  was  greatly 
moved  to  tenderness  and  devotion  and  he  was  very  anxious  to  set  out  at  once  for 
the  little  village  of  Agreda;  for  in  exact  correspondence  with  what  I  had  told  him, 
he  had  heard  the  same  thing  from  this  same  Mother  Maria  de  Jesus,  several  years 
previously,  when  he  had  gone  personally  to  visit  that  convent  as  it  was  under  the 
care  of  the  Order  and  the  Province  of  Burgos,  and  this  same  Mother  Mary  of  Jesus 
had  told  him  the  same;  os  ad  os,  word  for  word,  and  now  he  had  it  confirmed  by  what 
I  had  told  him.  But  seeing  that  his  many  occupations  would  not  permit,  he  sent  me 
to  go  to  her  personally,  giving  me  the  authority  that  I  might  oblige  the  blessed  Mother 
under  Obedience,  to  set  forth  to  me  all  that  she  knew  concerning  New  Me^co. 
Under  this  commission  I  left  this  Court  and  arrived  in  Agreda  on  the  last  of  April 
of  the  year  1631.  '^But  before  saying  anything  further,  I  want  to  say  that  the  abov^~ 
mentioned  Mother  Maria  de  Jesus,  Abbess  of  the  Convent  of  the  Conception,  etc., 
is  a  woman  of  about  29  years  old,  or  a  little  less,  of  beautiful  face,  of  white  skin,  but 
of  rosy  color,  and  large  black  eyes.  The  form  of  her  habit,  and  of  all  the  nuns  of  the 
convent,  who  are  29  in  all,  is  exactly  like  our  habit,  that  is,  it  is  of  gray  sackcloth, 
very  coarse  and  worn  next  the  skin,  without  any  other  tunic,  dress  skirt  or  under- 
skirt, and  over  this  gray  habit  is  worn  the  white  sackcloth  habit,  also  coarse,  with  a 
scapulary  of  the  same  and  the  cord  of  our  Father,  San  Francisco.  Over  the  scapu- 
lary  the  rosary  is  worn;  on  the  feet  there  are  no  shoes  or  other  footwear,  except  some 
wooden  soles  which  are  tied  to  the  feet,  or  else  some  sandals  made  of  esparto  grass. 
The  cloak  is  of  blue  sackcloth,  very  coarse,  and  the  veil  is  black.  I  will  not  stop  to 
speak  of  the  ascetic  life  of  this  venerable  Mother  and  of  her  Convent,  as  I  want  to 
confine  myself  to  the  part  which  concerns  New  Mexico.     But  when  I  shall  have  been 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  329 

granted  the  privilege  of  seeing  your  Reverences,  and  I  have  the  greatest  hopes  and 
desires  that  I  shall,  I  will  then  tell  you  some  wonderful  things  which  our  Lord  is 
working  there.  Among  other  virtues  which  this  blessed  Mother  has  attained  from 
God  is  the  desire  for  the  Conversion  of  Souls,  on  which  she  had  had  pity  from  child- 
hood, when  thinking  of  their  being  condemned,  but  especially  of  the  souls  of  the 
unbelievers  who,  for  the  lack  of  light  and  the  lack  of  some  one  to  preach  to  them,  do 
not  know  about  God  our  Lord.  As  His  Divine  Majesty  has  revealed  to  her  all  the 
savage  nations  who  are  living  in  the  world  without  a  knowledge  of  Him,  she  has 
been  carried  by  the  Ministry  of  Angels  whom  she  has  for  her  Guardians  and  her 
wings,  Saint  Michael  and  our  Father  San  Francisco,  that  she  might  personally  preach 
to  all  those  nations  our  Holy  Catholic  Faith,  and  in  particular  to  those  of  our  New 
Mexico  whither  she  has  been  carried  in  the  same  way.  The  Guardian  Angels  of 
Jtheir  Provinces  have  come  for  her  personally  at  the  command  of  God  our  Lord. 
The  habit  which  she  has  worn  personally  the  most  of  the  time  has  been  that  of  our 
Father,  San  Francisco,  and  at  other  times,  that  of  the  Conception,  together  with  the 
veil,  although  always  with  the  sleeves  rolled  up  and  the  white  skirts  drawn  up  so  as 
to  show  more  of  the  gray.  The  first  time  she  went  was  in  the  year  1620.  These 
flights  have  been  so  continuous  that  there  have  been  days  in  which  there  were  more 
than  three  or  four  in  less  than  24  hours.  This  habit  has  continued  constantly  up  to 
the  year  1631.  Fathers  of  my  Soul,  I  do  not  know  how  to  make  you  understand 
the  impulses  and  the  great  uplift  to  my  soul  which  I  felt  when  this  blessed  Mother 
told  me  that  she  had  accompanied  me  at  the  Baptism  of  the  Pizos  Indians  and  that 
she  recognized  me  as  being  the  same  person  whom  she  saw  there.  '^She  also  assisted 
Father  Christobal  Quiros  in  several  baptisms  and  she  gave  me  the  exact  description 
of  his  person,  his  face,  even  to  the  point  of  saying  that  he  is  old  but  that  he  did  not 
show  any  signs  of  gray  hairs,  that  he  was  longfaced  and  ruddy.  She  also  told  how 
one  time  the  Father  was  standing  baptizing  in  his  church  when  a  number  of  Indians 
gathered  around  the  door;  that  she  was  there  and  pushed  them  in  with  her  own  hands 
and  arranged  them  in  their  places  so  that  they  would  not  disturb;  that  they  were 
looking  to  see  who  pushed  them  and  that  they  laughed  when  they  could  not  see  who 
it  was;  and  that  she  pushed  them  so  that  they  would  push  the  others,  etc.  She  also 
told  me  what  we  all  know  happened  to  our  Fathers  and  Brothers,  Fray  Juan  de  Salas 
and  Fray  Diego  Lopez,  in  their  journeying  among  the  Jumanas,  and  that  she  took 
care  of  them  and  directed  them  all  the  time,  so  that  they  went  to  call  them,  just  as 
in  fact  they  did.  She  gave  me  all  the  descriptions  and  how  she  served  them.  She 
is  well  acquainted  with  Captain  Tuerto,  and  gave  me  all  the  peculiar  marks  of  his 
features,  as  well  as  of  all  the  others.  She  personally  sent  the  embassy  of  the  Quivira 
Indians  to  the  Fathers,  just  as  the  Indians  themselves  will  corroborate,  because  she 
spoke  to  them  personally.  She  also  told  me  about  Father  Ortega  and  his  journey, 
and  how  fortunate  he  was  in  escaping  with  his  life,  through  the  means  of  those  signs 
which  he  found,  and  she  described  each  one,  and  how  as  soon  as  he  turned  from  the 
North  to  the  East  he  got  out  of  the  region,  suffering  from  the  cold,  until  he  came  to 
another  place  where  it  was  warmer,  and  from  there  on  (although  at  a  great  distance) 
lies  the  greatness  of  the  countries,  but  that  our  Father,  San  Francisco,  is  to  conquer 
all.     There  were  so  many  minute  references  to  that  land  which  she  made  that  even 


330  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

I  could  not  remember  them  all  until  she  reminded  me.  When  I  asked  her  why  it 
was  that  she  had  never  allowed  us  to  see  her  when  she  allowed  the  Indians  to  have  that 
privilege,  she  replied,  that  they  had  a  greater  need  than  we,  and  besides  it  was  the 
Holy  Angels;  however,  I  trust  in  the  Divine  Majesty  that  when  this  letter  reaches 
the  hands  of  your  Reverences  that  some  one  or  more  of  you  will  be  permitted  to  see 
her,  because  I  begged  of  her  very  earnestly,  and  she  promised  to  ask  it  of  God  and 
if  it  shall  be  granted  to  her  she  will  be  very  glad  to  do  it./"  She  said  that  when  one 
leaves  Quivira  toward  the  East,  over  a  very  long  way  one  must  pass  by  the  landmarks 
which  Father  Ortega  saw  when  he  was  threatened  by  death  on  the  road,  in  order  that 
our  Holy  Faith  might  not  come  to  those  regions,  for  so  the  devil  had  shown  it  to  him, 
and  in  the  course  of  time  very  many  of  those  people  would  be  converted  if  the  soldiers 
gave  them  a  good  example;  {Res  valde  difficilis,  sed  omnia  Deo  facilia.)  She  also 
said  that  our  Father,  San  Francisco,  had  obtained  from  God  our  Lord  that  the 
Indians  would  only  have  to  look  upon  our  friars  to  be  converted.  I  wish  I  might 
tell  you  in  this  letter  all  that  the  Venerable  Mother  told  me,  but  that  is  not  possible 
although  I  have  a  great  deal  of  it  written  down  in  a  book  which  I  shall  bring  with 
me  for  the  comfort  of  all.  '^he  said  that  after  going  over  many  long  and  very 
difficult  roads  toward  the  East  we  would  come  to  the  nations  of  the  Chillescas,  Cam- 
bujos,  and  Jumanas,  and  then  soon  afterward  to  the  nation  of  the  Titlas  (these  are 
not  the  exact  names  of  the  tribes  but  they  are  somewhat  similar),  because  while  she 
is  among  them  she  can  speak  their  language,  but  when  she  is  away  from  them  she 
does  not  know  it,  nor  has  it  been  revealed  to  her.  That  nation  of  Titlas,  which  is 
very  large  and  populous,  is  where  she  has  gone  most  often,  and  through  her  inter- 
cession our  Father  conducted  thither  two  Friars  of  our  Order  and  they  baptized  the 
chief  and  many  of  the  people,  and  there  they  suffered  martyrdom.  She  says  that 
they  were  not  Spaniards  and  also  that  many  of  the  Christian  Indians  were  martyred, 
and  that  the  chief  had  their  bones  in  a  silver  casket  in  the  church  which  had  been 
built  there.  Once  she  took  from  here  a  chalice  for  Consecration  and  with  it  the 
Friars  said  Mass  and  had  a  procession  with  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  All  this  will  be 
found  there  and  many  Crosses  and  Rosaries  which  she  has  giveny  She  herself  was 
martyred  and  received  many  wounds  and  her  Holy  Angels  crowned  her  becafcise  she 
was  granted  of  our  Lord  the  blessing  of  Martyrdom.  I  think  that  this  will  be  quite 
sufficient  in  order  that  your  Reverences  may  be  consoled  at  having  such  a  companion 
and  Saint  in  your  labors,  and  it  may  be  God's  will  to  bring  me  back  to  you  that 
you  may  know  all  these  things  which  she  has  told  me  and  which  I  told  to  htr  in  order 
that  she  might  say  if  in  anything  I  had  been  mistaken,  or  if  it  was  the  same  which  had 
happened  between  the  two.  To  this  end  I  imposed  upon  her  the  Obedience  of  our 
most  Reverend  Father-General,  which  I  had  authority  to  impose  for  this  purpose, 
and  the  Reverend  Father  of  the  Province  who  was  there  and  her  Confessor  imposed 
the  same.  I  am  sure  that  her  answer  will  bring  greatest  comfort  and  encourage- 
ment to  your  Reverences,  as  it  has  caused  others  here,  for  all  Spain  wishes  to  go  to  see 
her;  so  I  will  write  out  here  a  copy  of  her  reply,  which  I  have  in  her  own  handwriting, 
and  which  I  shall  preserve  in  order  to  carry  it  to  your  Reverences.  I  also  have  the 
very  habit  which  she  wore  when  she  made  those  visits  and  also  the  veil  about  which 
there  is  a  peculiar  odor  which  comforts  the  soul./ 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNtPERO  SERRA  331 

COPY 

Of  the  Declarations  which  the  Blessed  Mother  Mary  of  Jesus  Writes  to 
THE  Reverend  Fathers  of  New  Mexico 

In  obedience  to  our  Most  Reverend  Father-General  and  our  Father,  Sebastian 
Marcilla,  Provincial  of  this  Holy  Province  of  Burgos,  and  our  Father,  Francisco 
Andres  de  La  Torre  who  is  my  spiritual  director,  and  to  the  Reverend  Father  Custos 
of  New  Mexico,  that  I  should  make  a  statement  concerning  the  contents  of  these 
memoranda  and  if  they  contain  what  I  have  said,  treated  of,  and  conferred  about 
concerning  what,  as  I  have  told  your  Reverence,  by  the  mercies  of  God  and  of  his 
holy  judgments  which  are  unchangeable,  He  has  wrought  in  my  poor  soul,  how 
perhaps,  He  has  chosen  a  most  unworthy  subject,  imperfect  and  incompetent,  to 
set  forth  the  might  of  His  wonderful  hand  and  to  permit  those  of  us  who  are  now 
alive  to  know  that  all  things  are  derived  from  the  Father  of  Lights,  who  inhabiteth 
the  heavens  and  by  Whose  might  and  power  we  are  able  to  do  all  things  with  the 
help  of  His  Greatness.  /J^nd  so  I  declare  what  it  is  that  has  happened  in  the  Prov- 
inces of  New  Mexico,  Quivira  and  Jumanas,  and  the  other  nations,  although  these 
latter  were  not  the  first  nations  to  whom  I  was  carried  by  the  will  of  God,  and  by  the 
hand  and  the  assistance  of  his  Angels,  where  it  happened  to  me  that  I  saw  and  did 
all  that  I  have  told  to  the  Father.  There  are  a  great  many  other  things  which  I 
have  not  told  about,  because  they  are  so  many  which  have  to  do  with  the  carrying 
of  the  Light  of  our  Holy  Catholic  Faith  to  all  those  nations.  The  first  tribes  to  which 
I  went,  I  believe,  are  toward  the  East,  and  in  order  to  reach  them  one  must  travel 
from  the  Quivira  nation.  T  call  these  nations,  using  our  own  terms  of  speech,  Titlas, 
Chillescas  and  Caburcos,  but  these  have  not  yet  been  discovered,  and  in  order  to 
reach  them  it  seems  to  me  there  will  be  great  difficulty  on  account  of  the  many 
tribes  that  must  be  traversed  before  arriving  at  them.  All  of  these  are  warlike  people, 
who  will  not  allow  the  Christian  Indians  of  New  Mexico  to  pass  through,  for  they 
are  very  suspicious  of  them  and  much  more  so  of  the  Friars  of  Our  Seraphic  Father, 
San  Francisco,  because  the  devil  has  them  deceived,  making  them  believe  that  there 
is  poison  wherever  there  is  the  antidote,  and  that  if  they  were  to  become  Christians 
they  would  be  reduced  to  slavery  instead  of  obtaining  liberty  and  happiness  in  this 
life.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  way  in  which  they  can  be  reached  will  be  to  have  the 
Friars  of  our  Father,  San  Francisco,  traverse  their  land,  and  for  their  security  soldiers 
of  good  life  and  conduct  might  be  sent  to  accompany  them  who,  on  account  of  their 
mildness,  would  be  willing  to  suffer  any  insult  which  might  be  offered  them,  and  who 
with  a  good  example  of  patience  might  win  them  over  as  so  much  can  be  accom- 
plished by  example.  When  these  Provinces  shall  have  been  discovered  a  great  work 
in  the  Vineyard  of  the  Lord  will  be  begun. -^ 

XThe  events  concerning  which  I  have  spoken  happened  to  me  since  the  year  1620 
and  up  to  this  present  year  of  1631,  in  the  region  of  Quivira  and  Jumanas,  which  are 
the  last  to  which  I  have  been  carried,  the  people  of  which  your  Reverence  says  are 
of  good  intelligence  and  in  their  persons  not  unlike  those  Holy  Fathers,  the  Mis- 
sionaries/whom  I  beg  and  in  God's  name  warn  and  admonish  to  carry  on  this  glori- 
ous work,  praising  the  Almighty  for  the  good  fortune  and  happiness  which  is  theirs, 
as  His  Divine  Majesty  has  made  them  treasurers  and  disbursers  of  his  Precious 
Blood.  He  has  put  the  price  of  it  in  their  hands  which  is  naught  else  than  the  souls 
of  these  many  Indians  who  for  lack  of  light  and  the  means  of  getting  it,  walk  in 
blindness  and  darkness,  deprived  of  all  that  is  most  holy  and  desirable  in  the  pure  and 
delectable  law  of  God,  as  well  as  of  eternal  good  and  glory.  These  same  Fathers 
ought  to  be  greatly  encouraged  in  this  inheritance  of  the  Lord,  because  the  harvest 
is  great  and  the  laborers  are  few,  so  they  must  give  greater  glory  and  praise  to  the 
Most  High  and  make  use  of  the  most  perfect  Charity  which  it  is  possible  to  exercise 
toward  these  creatures  of  the  Lord  made  in  His  image  and  created  in  His  likeness 
with  rational  souls  capable  of  knowing  Him.  I  pray  you,  Fathers  and  my  dear  Sirs, 
that  the  desires  of  the  Lord  and  of  his  Holy  Will  be  not  suffered  to  fail,  because  you 


332  FRANCISCO  PALOU'S  LIFE  OF 

are  called  upon  to  receive  in  exchange  hardships  and  contumely,  for  God  has  His 
delight  in  the  sons  of  men  and  these  Indians  He  has  made  capable  and  worthy  to 
worship  Him.  So  that  it  is  not  right  that  they  should  be  deprived  of  that  which  we, 
as  believing  Christians,  possess  and  enjoy.  I  hope  that  you,  Reverend  Fathers, 
will  rejoice  in  that  God  has  given  you  the  opportunity,  occasion,  and  vocation  of  the 
Apostles.  Do  not  lose  it  through  any  thought  of  the  fatigue  and  the  labor.  Remem- 
ber it  is  your  part  to  obey  the  Most  High  and  to  go  forth  and  to  sow  the  seed  of  His 
Holy  Law,  no  matter  how  great  may  be  the  labors  and  the  persecutions  which  you 
may  suffer  in  imitation  of  your  Master. 

I  can  assure  your  Reverences  that  I  know  to  a  certainty  that  the  Blessed  in 
heaven  envy  you,  if  it  is  possible  for  them  to  have  envy  (which  is  impossible),  but 
I  speak  after  our  human  manner  of  understanding.  If  they  could,  they  would  leave 
the  glory  which  they  have,  in  order  to  accompany  you  in  these  Conversions.  This 
does  not  surprise  me  —  as  they  see  in  the  Lord,  who  is  the  principal  cause  and  the 
object  of  their  glory  and  who  is,  as  it  were,  a  mirror  into  which  all  may  look  and  in 
which  they  may  see  the  particular  glory  which  the  Apostles  have  and  in  which  is 
even  more  evident  the  glory  which  the  other  Saints  have  in  that  they  have  suffered 
much  for  the  Conversion  of  Souls, —  so  that  it  is  certain  they  would  be  glad  to  sepa- 
rate themselves  from  the  enjoyment  of  God  in  order  to  Convert  one  soul.  This  is 
then  a  reason  why  your  Reverences  who  have  this  great  opportunity  should  make 
great  use  of  it,  and  I  confess  that  if  I  could  purchase  it  with  my  blood,  or  my  life,  or 
cruel  martyrdom  I  would  do  it.  I  indeed  envy  your  Reverences  this  task  which, 
although  God  grants  me  that  I  may  obtain  this  fruit  in  life,  it  is  not  by  the  way  of 
suffering  such  as  your  Reverences  have,  nor  do  I  deserve  any  thing  of  the  sort,  on 
account  of  my  imperfections.  But  now  that  I  am  able  to  do  so  little,  I  simply  offer 
all  my  heart  and  soul  to  help  with  prayers  and  exercises  and  with  those  of  this  Holy 
Community.  I  beg  my  very  dear  Fathers  to  accept  my  good  wishes  and  desires,  and 
that  they  permit  me  to  be  a  partaker  with  them  in  some  of  the  minor  works  and 
labors  which  your  Fathers  are  accomplishing  through  these  Conversions.  And  I 
will  greatly  esteem  it  as  far  as  I  am  concerned  if  I  may  know  that  the  Lord  is  being 
pleased  with  the  Conversion  of  souls.  This  I  have  learned  of  the  Most  High,  and  I 
have  also  heard  it  from  His  Holy  Angels,  who  have  told  me  that  they  envy  those 
who  are  the  Custodians  of  souls  and  who  are  occupied  in  the  work  of  Conversion. 
And  as  they  are  ministers  who  present  our  works  to  the  Most  High  they  assure  me 
that  these  are  the  things  which  most  pleases  His  Divine  Majesty,  namely,  that  there 
should  be  souls  Converted  in  New  Mexico.  The  Holy  Angel  explained  it  to  me  thus, 
that  as  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  was  sufficient  for  all  souls,  and  that  he  suffered  for  one 
what  he  suffered  for  all,  that  what  grieved  the  Lord  most  was  that  a  soul,  fqr  lack  of 
the  light  of  Our  Holy  Faith,  should  perish,  for  whom  He  had  suffered  so  gr^at  pas- 
sion and  death.  This  can  encourage  you  in  your  holy  occupation  and  mak§  you 
willing  to  suffer  much  in  order  to  accomplish  it,  namely,  that  all  that  I  have  s^d  in 
my  letter  and  in  that  of  my  Father  Custos  of  New  Mexico  is  absolutely  true.  And 
under  the  command  of  Obedience  I  have  signed  it  with  my  own  name,  and  I  beg  all 
your  Reverences  whom  I  have  herein  named,  that  for  the  sake  of  the  Lord  whom  we 
serve  and  for  whose  sake  I  make  the  declaration,  that  these  secrets  be  kept  hidden 
and  guarded  carefully,  as  the  case  demands,  without  their  being  seen  by  any  other 
person.  From  the  house  of  the  Most  Pure  Conception  of  Agreda,  15th  of  May, 
1631. 

Sister  Maria  de  Jesus. 

I  very  much  wish.  Fathers  and  Brethren,  that  I  could  write  in  this  letter  for  your 
greater  comfort  the  many  things  which  I  have  written,  both  of  my  own  and  of  this 
Holy  Mother,  through  whom  our  Lord  has  operated  in  our  favor  and  assistance  in 
those  new  conversions,  but  they  are  rather  to  be  kept  in  one's  heart  than  written 
down,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  with  the  above  declarations  which  are  all  over  her 


PADRE  FRAY  JUNlPERO  SERRA  333 

signature  and  which  I  have  in  my  possession,  your  Reverences  will  be  consoled,  as 
you  will  see  that  her  style  and  thought  are  indeed  evangelical.  I  asked  her  if  we 
were  acting  wisely  in  the  method  of  procedure  in  the  Spiritual  Work,  as  well  as  in 
the  construction  of  buildings,  the  planting  of  fields  and  the  other  things  which  we  do  " 
for  the  maintenance  and  protection  of  the  Indians.  She  told  me  that  all  was  very 
acceptable  to  our  Lord,  as  it  all  conduced  to  the  work  of  Conversion,  which  is  the 
greatest  charity.  She  has  taken  it  upon  herself  to  commend  your  Reverences  to 
God  and  to  pray  for  peace  and  amity  between  Governors  and  religious  workers 
regarding  the  question  of  Conversion,  and  so  she  commends  us  all  especially  to  God 
in  order  that  Friars,  Governors,  Spaniards  and  Indians  may  all  of  one  accord  adore 
and  praise  the  Lord,  and  above  all  that  the  work  of  giving  the  Light  of  our  Holy 
Catholic  Faith  to  all  those  barbarian  nations  may  be  furthered,  for  His  Divine 
Majesty  keeps  us  in  His  Holy  Work  not  that  we  may  get  in  each  other's  way  and 
prevent  the  carrying  out  of  His  plans  by  quarrels  among  ourselves.  I  also  know, 
Fathers,  that  in  all  the  time  I  was  there  I  did  not  deserve,  on  account  of  my  imper- 
fections and  sins,  the  joy  of  the  perfect  peace  which  I  desired,  but  I  hope  from  His 
Divine  Grace  to  go  back  there  to  finish  my  days  if  He  will  allow  me  to  do  so  in  the 
company  and  service  of  your  Reverences.  His  Divine  Majesty  knows  well  how 
greatly  I  desire  this.  Will  not  your  Reverences  commend  me  to  all  the  Spanish 
officials  and  because  I  have  always  known  the  good  will  which  you  have  for  me  I 
will  pay  you  back  by  manifesting  to  His  Royal  Majesty,  and  to  the  Royal  Council 
of  the  Indies  that  you  are  his  true  Apostolic  soldiers,  both  on  account  of  your  valor, 
as  well  as  for  the  good  example  which  you  have  set  forth  in  our  company,  and  con- 
cerning which  His  Majesty  has  been  weU  informed.  He  promised  to  grant  me  every 
grace  which  I  might  ask  of  him;  but  the  principal  thing  for  which  we  should  consider 
ourselves  most  happy  is  that  we  have  the  patronage  of  the  blessed  soul  of  Maria  de 
Jesus.  She  has  seen  you  and  has  commended  you  to  God  and  so  I  thank  you  a 
thousand  times  and  I  thank  God  that  you  have  merited  this,  and  I  have  said  the  same 
thing  to  the  Mother  concerning  the  Christian  life  and  virtue  of  all  the  Spaniards,  and 
concerning  the  humility  and  care  with  which  the  altars  are  kept  clean.  And  when 
I  told  her  this  she  recommended  them  to  our  God  and  I  also  ask  for  the  prayers  of  all. 
To  all  the  Indians  I  send  many  kind  remembrances  as  they  are  deserving  of  our 
great  affection,  and  because  she  is  to  go  out  from  these  nations  to  others  more  remote 
and  as  to  her  spiritual  children  to  whom  she  has  preached  our  Holy  Catholic  Faith 
and  illumined  them  while  they  were  in  the  darkness  of  idolatry  and  whom  she  holds 
very  dear  in  her  memory  in  order  never  to  forget  them  in  her  prayers.  Blessed  be 
that  land  and  blessed  be  those  inhabitants  that  they  should  merit  so  great  favors 
from  heaven.     Your  humble  son  and  servant,  Fr.  Alonso  de  Benavides. 

Our  Most  Reverend  Father-General  from  here  grants  you  all  his  benediction  with 
that  of  Our  Seraphic  Father,  San  Francisco,  because  as  his  true  sons  you  have  come 
to  his  help  in  this  Apostolic  labor,  and  so  he  asks  me  that  I  write  it  to  your  Reverences. 


^ 


Appendix 

Notes  to  Palou's  Text. 

Note  i. —  In  praising  my  sister,  I  am  admiring  what  belongs  to  my  own  familyX  ''' 
These  facts  are  not  false  because  they  concern  my  own  family;  but  they  are  true 
and  for  that  reason  worthy  of  praise;  they  are  true  and  justice  demands  that  they  be 
publicly  known.  We  shall  praise  only  those  things  and  pass  by  in  silence  only  those 
things  that  are  worthy  either  of  praise  or  silence.  Certainly  it  is  altogether  unreason- 
able that  relatives  should  be  deprived  of  the  praise  which  is  their  due.  ^ 

Note  2. —  One  should  write  for  the  mind,  not  for  the  ears. 

Note  3. —  Conversation  ought  to  be  of  true  purity,  or  rather,  of  pure  verity,  it  is     ^ 
simple,  and  it  ought  not  to  be  obscured  by  an  artificial  shading  of  colors. 

Note  4. —  As  Palou  states,  Serra  was  a  devout  student  of  the  Lives  of  the  ^ 
Saints.  "The  books  which  he  read  oftenest,  and  which  most  attracted  his  atten- 
tion, were  the  Chronicles  of  our  Seraphic  Order."  Naturally  the  life  of  the  Founder 
of  the  Order  would  be  most  familiar  to  him.  Thus  he  came  to  know  with  intimacy 
and  delight  the  quaint  and  yet  devoted  lay-brother  of  St.  Francis,  known  as  Brother  r 
Junipero.  A  striking,  singular  and  unique  character  he  was  called  the  "Jester  of 
the  Lord,"  yet  such  was  his  devotion  to  the  poor  that  he  had  to  be  watched  con- 
stantly lest  he  give  away  all  the  contents  of  the  larder  to  those  who  came  begging  for 
food.  On  one  occasion  he  was  even  caught  stripping  the  golden  lace  from  the  cloth 
of  the  altar,  and  when  remonstrated  with  declared  his  intention  to  sell  it  an4  with 
the  money  buy  food  for  the  poor.  His  ready  wit  and  epigrammatic  speech  also 
greatly  attracted  the  young  Miguel  Joseph  Serra,  and  therefore,  when  he  took  the 
Franciscan  Vows,  he  assumed  the  name  "Junipero,"  by  which  he  was  ever  after 
known. 

Note  5. —  "Religious."     This  is  a  term  well  known  among  Catholics  denoting  *f 
anyone  devoted  to  the  religious  or  conventual  life.     Any  man  or  woman,  having 
taken  religious  vows  which  definitely  sets  him  or  her  apart  for  God  is  a  "religious." 
In  French  and  Spanish  the  term  is  common,  but  in  English,  though  known  to  Cath- 
olisc  and  scholars,  it  is  not  generally  understood  when  used  as  a  noun  or  substantive. 

Note  6. —  This  undoubtedly  refers  to  Father  Luis  Jayme,  whose  martyrdom  at 
San  Diego  is  fully  described  in  Chapter  XL. 

Note  7. —  Reverend  Father  Verger,  formerly  Guardian  of  the  College  of  San 
Fernando  in  the  City  of  Mexico. 

Note  8. —  St.  Francis  was  the  Founder  and  therefore  the  "Patriarch"  of  the 
Order  that  bears  his  name.     Also  see  Note  4. 

Note  9. —  Mecate.     The  palm  from  which  the  fibre  for  Mecate  was  produced   -^ 
grows  wild  and  is  much  shorter  and  coarser  than  the  hemp  grown  in  Yucatan  and 
Manila,  from  which  ordinary  rope  is  made. 

335 


336  APPENDIX 

Note  io. —  Fanega.  The  Fanega  is  a  Spanish  unit  of  measure  equal  to  about 
100  lbs. 

Note  ii. —  San  Saba,  on  the  Rio  San  Saba,  Texas.  A  Mission  and  presidio 
were  established  here  in  1756-7,  for  the  Conversion  of  the  Lipanes  Apaches.  March 
16,  1758,  the  Comanches,  the  hereditary  foes  of  the  Apaches,  who  regarded  the 
Spaniards  as  allies  of  their  enemies,  gained  admittance  to  the  Mission,  murdered  two 
of  the  three  Missionaries,  plundered  and  set  fire  to  the  buildings. 

Note  12. —  "The  Old  Mission  situated  farthest  North."  It  should  never  be 
forgotten  that,  in  the  words  of  Arthur  W.  North,  "during  their  Seventy  Years' 
*  sojourn  in  Lower  California  the  Jesuits  had  *  *  *  founded  twenty-three  Mission 
establishments,  of  which  fourteen  had  proven  successful."  The  northernmost  of 
these  was  Santa  Maria  de  los  Angeles,  in  latitude  thirty-one  degrees,  or  there- 
abouts. It  was  no  sooner  founded  than  the  Order  for  the  Expulsion  of  the  Jesuits 
was  issued.    This  was  the  Mission  the  Inspector-General  referred  to. 

Note  13. —  "Twenty-five  armored  soldiers."  These  were  the  "leather-jackets" 
later  referred  to.  Their  armor  is  thus  described  by  Langsdorff,  in  his  Voyages,  as 
seen  by  him  at  the  Mission  and  presidio  of  San  Francisco  in  1806:  "On  these  occa- 
sions [when  friars  and  soldiers  went  out  in  search  of  Indians]  the  whole  party  com- 
monly throw  over  their  breast  and  shoulders  a  sort  of  short  leathern  mantle  made 
of  deer-skin.  This  is  intended  as  a  defence  against  the  arrows  of  the  Indians,  which 
cannot  pierce  through  the  leather." 

Note  14. —  Fr.  Juan  Crespi's  Diary.  This  describes  minutely  the  Expedition 
under  Governor  Caspar  de  Portola  from  San  Diego  north  when  the  Bay  of  Monterey 
could  not  be  found,  but  the  Bay  that  afterwards  was  known  as  that  of  San  Francisco 
was  discovered  (i  769-1 770).  It  is  published  in  Fr.  Francisco  Palou's  Noticias  de  la 
Nueva  California,  an  octavo  edition  of  which  was  published  in  1874,  in  San  Francisco, 
by  John  T.  Doyle. 

Note  15. —  The  Lord  preserve  him. 

Note  16. —  However,  the  more  tardily  the  more  solemnly. 

Note  17. —  See  Extracts  from  the  letter  of  Rev.  Father  Fr.  Alonso  de  Benavides, 
with  which  Palou  closes  his  Life  of  Serra. 

Note  18. —  See  the  same. 

Note  19. —  When  the  Jesuits  were  expelled  from  Lower  California  the  Franciscans 
took  their  places,  the  sixteen  Missionaries  of  the  former  being  replaced  by  sixteen  of 
the  latter.  But  the  Dominicans  were  also  desirous  of  doing  missionary  work  among 
the  Indians  of  the  peninsula,  and  so  petitioned  the  King,  who,  on  November  4,  1768, 
issued  a  decree  directing  that  the  Dominicans  be  given  some  of  the  Missions,  or 
that  the  peninsula  be  divided  between  the  two  Orders.  In  the  meantime  the  Inspec- 
tor-General, Don  Jos6  de  Galvez,  made  a  visit  of  inspection  to  the  peninsula  Missions 
and  reported  that  in  his  judgment  it  was  unwise  and  inexpedient  to  divide  the 
peninsula  Missions.  The  Viceroy  agreed  with  the  Inspector-General  and  so  reported 
to  the  King,  but  the  zealous  Dominicans  still  insisting,  his  Majesty  issued  a  further 
decree,  on  the  strength  of  which  the  heads  of  the  two  Orders  met  and  agreed  that  the 
Franciscans  should  relinquish  to  the  Dominicans  all  claim  upon  the  Missions  and 
territory  of  Lower  California,  and  that  they  (the  Franciscans)  were  to  confine  them- 
I  selves  to  the  New  Missions  of  Alta  California.    This  agreement  was  ratified  and 


APPENDIX  337 

approved  by  the  powers  above,  and  in  due  time  the  Franciscans  turned  the  Peninsula 
Missions  over  to  the  Dominicans,  and  henceforth  devoted  themselves  solely  to  the 
establishment  and  conduct  of  the  new  Missions  of  Alta  California. 

Note  20. —  It  is  too  often  overlooked  by  those  unfamiliar  with  the  inner  history 
of  the  Missions  that  they  were,  in  a  great  measure,  State  institutions,  provided  and 
cared  for  by  the  Sjjanish  Government  out  of  the  Pious  Fund.  The  result  of  the  visit 
of  Father  Serra  to  Mexico  on  this  occasion  was  the  clearer  definition  by  the  Viceroy 
of  the  rights  and  powers  of  the  Missionaries,  etc.,  and  among  other  things  the  pledge 
by  the  government  to  pay,  for  five  years,  for  six  body  servants  for  each  Mission. 
These  servants  were  also  to  work  in  the  fields  and  thus,  by  example,  teach  the 
Indians  how  to  labor  and  become  civilized. 

Note  21. —  Berrendos  means  "mottled"  or  "spotted,"  hence  the  appropriate- 
ness of  the  name  as  applied  to  antelopes. 

Note  22. —  Impresion  de  las  Llagas  de  N.  S.  Padre  S.  Francisco.  "Impression 
of  the  Wounds  of  Our  Holy  Father,  St.  Francis." 

To  non-Catholics,  who  have  made  no  study  of  the  genius  of  and  spirit  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  expressions  of  this  nature  are  baffling  and  confusing,  while  to 
Catholics  they  are  simple  and  clear. 

St.  Francis  was  so  devoted  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  so  longed  to  be  counted  as  the 
least  of  His  Disciples,  that  he  craved  a  part  in  the  sufferings  of  his  Crucified  Lord. 
Thomas  of  Celano,  who  wrote  a  Life  of  St.  Francis  three  years  after  the  death  of  the 
Saint,  tells  how  that  on  Holy  Cross  Day,  Sept.  14th,  he  had  retired  to  his  mountain 
hut  under  a  beech  tree  and  there  remained  rapt  in  prayer.  His  companions  heard 
him  conversing,  as  it  were,  with  Christ.  When  the  time  came  for  them  to  go  home 
he  was  singularly  silent,  though  there  was  something  about  him  that  peculiarly 
attracted  their  attention.  Fra  lUuminato,  whose  counsel  had  been  resorted  to  by 
Francis  on  several  occasions,  saw  (so  San  Buenaventura  tells  us)  that  something 
marvellous  had  happened  to  his  master.  "Brother,"  he  said,  "  not  only  for  thine 
own  sake,  but  for  the  sake  of  others,  the  Divine  Mysteries  are  made  known  to  thee. 
And  therefore  it  seems  right  that  thou  shouldst  not  conceal  what  thou  hast  heard  and 
seen." 

St.  Francis  accordingly  told  his  brethren  that  while  he  prayed  there  appeared 
before  him  "a  great  figure  as  of  a  seraph,  which  gazed  upon  him  with  benign 
aspect,  though  it  had  arms  extended  and  feet  conjoined,  as  if  fixed  to  a  cross.  It  had 
six  wings,  two  of  which  were  elevated  over  the  head,  two  extended  as  if  for  flight,  and 
the  other  two  veiling  the  entire  body."  Another  account  is  slightly  different  in  that 
the  seraph  does  not  itself  display  the  form  of  a  cross,  but  "carried  within  its  wings 
the  form  of  a  beautiful  man  crucified,  the  hands  and  feet  extended  as  on  a  cross, 
showing  forth  most  clearly  the  image  of  our  Lord  Jesus." 

The  chief  point  of  St.  Francis's  relation,  however,  is  that  while  he  was  seeking 
to  understand  the  vision  and  its  significance,  and  while  its  novelty  overwhelmed  his 
heart,  there  began  to  appear  in  his  hands  and  feet  signs  of  nails  such  as  he  had  just 
seen  in  the  holy  Crucified  One  who  stood  over  him.  These  are  the  Stigmata  or  wounds 
referred  to,  and  devout  followers  of  St.  Francis  naturally  revere  the  day  upon  which 
this  marvellous  token  of  Christ's  appreciation  of  the  love  of  his  servant  took  place. 

Note  23. —  Our  Lady  of  the  Angeles  of  Porciuncula.    This  is  the  city  of  Southern 


338  APPENDIX 

California  commonly  and  officially  known  as  Los  Angeles.  The  Porciuncula  River 
is  now  called  the  Los  Angeles  River,  and  the  small  Spanish  settlement  of  1769  has 
grown  to  a  city  of  400,000  inhabitants. 

Note  24. —  At  last,  the  more  tardily  so  much  the  more  solemnly. 

Note  25. —  Father  Francisco  Garc^'s  was  one  of  the  most  enterprising,  energetic 
and  devoted  of  St.  Francis's  heroic  band  of  New  Mexican  missionaries.  His  Life 
and  the  record  of  the  various  Entradas  or  expeditions  he  made  for  missionary  purposes 
through  Sonora,  Arizona  and  California  are  recounted  in  the  translations  of  his 
diary  with  notes,  entitled  On  the  Trail  of  a  Spanish  Pioneer,  done  by  Elliott  Coues, 
and  published  by  Francis  P.  Harper,  of  New  York.  He  was  one  of  the  first  of  white 
men  to  describe  the  Flute  Dance  of  the  interesting  Hopi  (Moqui)  people,  whose 
Snake  Dance  is  one  of  the  thrilling  ceremonies  of  the  pagan  world. 

Note  26. —  "Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  he  will  send  forth 
laborers  into  his  harvest." 

Note  27. —  First  words  of  the  hymn  which  is  invariably  sung  before  Benediction. 

Note  28. —  "The  memory  of  him  shall  not  depart  away,  and  his  name  shall  be 
in  request  from  generation  to  generation."     (Eccli.  cap.  39,  verse  13.) 

Note  29. —  Gente  de  razon.  A  term  applied  to  the  Spaniards  and  other  white 
persons  to  distinguish  them  from  the  Indians.  They  (the  Whites)  are  "people  of 
reason"  while  the  Indians  were  considered  as  acting  from  native  impulses  as  do  the 
lower  animals. 

Note  30. —  "The  memory  of  him  shall  not  depart." 

Note  31. —  "Beloved  of  God  and  men." 

Note  32. —  "The  just  shall  be  in  everlasting  remembrance."     (Psalm  iii,  7.) 

Note  33. —  "But  when  thou  doest  alms,  let  not  thy  left  hand  know  what  thy 
right  hand  doeth."     (Matt,  vi,  3.) 

Note  34. —  "So  let  your  light  shine, "  etc.     (Matt,  v,  16.) 

Note  35. —  "Burning  lights,  indeed,  we  hold  in  our  hands  when  by  good  works 
we  show  examples  of  light  to  our  neighbors." 

Note  36. —  "By  their  fruits  you  shall  know  them."     (Matt,  vii,  2p.) 

Note  37. —  The  Latin  and  translation  are  given  in  the  text.  \ 

Note  38. —  "In  order  that  a  virtue  be  heroic  it  must  effect  that  he  who  possesses 
it  works  with  ease,  with  promptitude,  and  with  cheerfulness  beyond  the  ordinary 
from  a  supernatural  motive,  with  self-denial,  and  with  subjection  of  his  affections." 

Note  39. —  "So  likewise  ye,  when  ye  shall  have  done  all  those  things  which 
are  commanded  you,  say,  We  are  unprofitable  servants:  we  have  done  that  which 
was  our  duty  to  do." 

Note  40. —  Unstinted  liberality  or  mercy  towards  the  needy. 

Note  41. —  This  brevity  excludes  verbosity  and  obscure  passages,  also  un- 
common words  that  are  beyond  the  grasp  of  the  hearers.  It  however  does  not 
exclude,  when  expedient,  a  long  speech,  since  the  Lord  himself  sometimes  spoke  at 
length,  as  is  evident  from  John  x,  and  Matt,  v,  vi,  and  vii. 


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